My Not-so-Forged Wedding
by SuzunoKoi
Summary: Mashiro Tsuneha comes to live with Yamato Kougami one day, but since Yamato isn't at home, she has to wait until he gets back. When he does come home, he is greeted by Mashiro. He soon finds outs that she is his future wife, and confronts Kunihiko Aikawa about the marriage.
1. Episode 1

All of a Sudden… a Maiden Appears and a Bachelor Opens Up

Knock. Knock.

_What is this? A joke? _A girl with fawn hair thought after knocking on the apartment door twice.

She had been waiting for someone to answer the door for several minutes, but no one had come out. Shortly afterward, one of the neighbors came out and glanced at the girl's direction.

"Oh?" It was a woman who was about ten years older than her. "Are you looking for Mr. Kougami?"

The fawn-haired girl looked to her left. Her solemn expression soon became a heartwarming smile. "Yes. I was wondering where he was since no one had opened the door after I knocked on it. Would you know where he would be?"

The woman's eyes widened in surprise, which soon turned into a somewhat apologetic one. She placed her left hand on the side of her face and tilted her head to the side. "Oh, I'm sorry. Mr. Kougami isn't home at the moment. He left to go to work about an hour ago. If I had known he was expecting a guest to arrive, I would have informed him sooner."

"Eh…?" The woman's words immediately struck the girl. Then, she blinked and suddenly had a sad and slightly wrecked expression on her face. "He's not here…? Then, where is he?"

The woman frowned. "To be precise, all I really know is that he works at an all-girls high school. Perhaps you can find a way to meet him later?"

"Oh." There was a frown etched onto her face when she heard those words. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Ma'am. I'll see if I can contact him later."

The woman smiled with her eyes closed. "You don't have to think of it that way. I'm sorry I couldn't help you." She gave a light bow with her head. "Then, I'll be going back inside now. It was nice to meet you, though."

"Yes," the fawn-haired girl nodded. "It was nice to see you, too."

After that, the woman went back to her apartment, leaving the girl all alone outside.

The girl sighed and took out her cell phone. "Guess I'll have to call Kun Kun, then." She dialed a number listed under the name 'Kunihiko Aikawa' and hit the call button. Immediately after she placed the phone next to her ear, the person on the other line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" the girl said. "It's Mashiro. Yamato's not at home right now, so can I come visit you right now? I don't have anywhere else to go, so…"

Kunihiko chuckled slightly. "I see. Well, you're welcome to come over anytime. I'm free right now, so I'll be waiting for you over at Long Island."

"Alright. I'll be there in a few minutes," Mashiro nodded.

And like she told the man named Kunihiko Aikawa, Mashiro had walked all the way to a nearby sports bar called Long Island and opened the door, walking into the building.

"Kun Kun?" she looked around. "I'm here~!"

"Oh! Mashiro! You're here!" a man with shaggy purple hair exclaimed as he walked up to Mashiro.

"That's what I just said," the fawn-haired girl told the older man.

Kunihiko held out a key in front of the girl. "Anyway, here. Have this."

Mashiro blinked. "What's it for?" She held out both of her hands as she looked at the key.

"Hmm?" Kunihiko smiled. He placed the key gently onto Mashiro's palms and put his hand into his pocket located on his pair of shorts. "I got this for you since you said Yamato wasn't home. It's an extra copy to his apartment door."

Suddenly, a delighted smile formed on the fawn-haired girl's face. She then looked at Kunihiko with her hands still held out. "You mean I can go into his apartment now?"

"That's right," Kunihiko confirmed. "But before that, how about I get you something to eat first? You must be hungry after coming here."

Mashiro nodded excitedly. "Un! I'll make sure to help you clean up after I'm done, Kun Kun! Can we eat together?"

"Of course!" the purple-haired man beamed. "I haven't seen you in a while, so let's have our first meal together (after meeting up again) to celebrate our reunion! It's been a long time since we ate with each other! I'll even tell you everything I know after this! So what would you like to have?"

"Hamburger!" Mashiro shouted happily. "And an omelet! Actually, I'm starving, so let's eat a lot today!"

Kunihiko laughed wholeheartedly. "Hamburger and omelet, and everything we can eat, huh? You haven't changed one bit. Let's think of this as a late lunch/early lunch. I'll get everything together and teach you as much as I can about the area. Then we can go to Yamato's apartment together and make something for him before he gets home. How about it?"

Mashiro nodded once more. "Yeah!"

"Hmm… But for hamburger…" Kunihiko began to think about what to prepare first as the two of them were getting into the moment.

After several hours had passed by, Yamato had finally gotten off work for the night. He took out his house key and unlocked the door. Once he stepped inside, he was greeted by his "pet", which was a small robot vacuum cleaner by the name, Roomba.

"I'm home, Roomba," Yamato smiled when he saw it come up to him. "You seem happier today. Did something good happen while I was away?"

For a second there, it seemed as if a light flashed from Roomba. It was as though the small appliance was beaming with glee.

"Hm? Why are you all hyped up for?" the auburn-haired man asked.

Roomba soon skidded away.

Soon enough, Mashiro hurried out from the kitchen and dining room happily to greet the owner of the apartment. "Welcome come! Dinner's ready, so let's eat together!"

"Huh? Who are you?" Yamato asked. He wasn't sure why, but the fawn-haired girl seemed to have been waiting for him this whole time.

Mashiro kept smiling. "Hmm? I'm Mashiro, of course! I'm your future wife."

"HUH?!"

There were hardly any words to describe what he had just heard. Indeed, Yamato was already in a state of shock. However, Mashiro had the same smile on her face.

"Like I said, silly," she answered. "I'm going to become your wife soon, so it's only natural that I would be waiting for you to return from work. I even had a bit of help preparing dinner for you."

"…"

Soon, Yamato came back to his senses.

"Who told you to come here?" he asked the fawn-haired girl.

Mashiro tilted her head to the side. "? Didn't you say you wanted someone to be your wife?"

Yamato blinked. "Huh?"

"I mean, you told Kun Kun that you needed one, right?" Mashiro continued. "So he asked me to come here and live with you."

Right then and there, it was all coming back to him.

"Ah!"

_A few days ago…_

_ "Hey, Kuni," Yamato began. "There's something I need to ask you."_

_ Kunihiko glanced at the auburn-haired man in front of him and smiled. "What can I help you with, Yamato?"_

_ "Well…" Yamato looked to the side as if something was troubling him. "At the interview today… they asked me if I was married. I lied and told them that I was, but I need someone to become my wife. If word gets out that I'm not actually married, they'll fired me. So… I need you to help me out here and find someone who'll agree to marry me."_

_ Kunihiko rubbed the back to his head. "Ooh… That's… a tough one there. I'm actually in a bind myself here, Yamato. You see, the others have already asked me today to help them find someone, as well. They all came at different times, and I couldn't refuse them all. In fact, you're the last one to come to me for help on this."_

_ "Darn…" Yamato had a depressed expression on his face. "I don't know if I can find someone before they find out about my marital status. Keeping this job is really important to me right now, Kuni."_

_ The bar owner smiled again. "Look, Yamato. I'll let you in on this. I'll try to find someone who can help you out, but try not to be rude to her. I have someone in mind right now, and it looks like she's in need of a place to go. So if you promise me that you'll help her out, I'll contact her and ask if she wants to come here and live with you."_

_ "You really mean it?" Yamato asked. He was astonished by Kunihiko's offer._

_ Without a doubt, the purple-haired man nodded. "Of course. All you have to do is accept my offer and I'll phone her right away. What do you say?"_

_ "Alright!" the auburn-haired man exclaimed. "Thanks, Kuni!"_

_ "No problem," Kunihiko replied. "Be nice to her, okay? She's a nice girl, so I don't want you to hurt her feelings."_

_ "Don't worry," Yamato assured him. "I'll take care of her like she's one of my own relatives."_

_ Kunihiko looked at Yamato and smiled warmly. "A deal's a deal. I'm counting on you to make her happy, Yamato. And… thank you."_

"I see," Yamato remembered. "Well, that part's true. I _do_ need someone to be my wife, but what I meant was that I wanted you to become my fake wife."

Mashiro tilted her head to the side. "Not a real one? You don't want to actually marry me?"

"Uh…" Yamato trailed off, having a conflicted expression on his face.

_Shoot. _He was entering his thoughts. _I forgot to tell Kuni that I wanted to have a fake marriage, not a _real_ one! Argh!_

He sighed and stared at the fawn-haired girl in front of him.

_Guess I have no choice then. I'm going to have to commit to this relationship that I've started with her._

"Look." His gaze was intense as he kept staring at Mashiro. "I don't know what Kuni told you beforehand. But about getting married to you… I want to make things clear about this. I—"

The fawn-haired girl saw his expression and smile. "Um… How about we have dinner first? Anyway, let me introduce myself first." She place her hands on the lower half of her apron and bowed before looking straight at the auburn-haired man in front of her. "My name is Mashiro Tsuneha. I am twenty-two years old, and I have come here to fulfil Kunihiko Aikawa-sama's request to become your wife. I hope to get along with you from this moment on, Yamato. I also know about your situation, so I'll do my best to show you and everyone else around you that I am a perfect housewife, and that I truly love you with all my heart no matter what. Even if the situation becomes difficult for the two of us, I will continue to support you as your one and only wife. Oh, and…" She kept smiling sincerely as she added the rest. "This is not only an introduction, but also a vow to you. I am not just saying this because of our circumstances; I am a maiden who has fallen in love with you without knowing what you looked like before I came here. I did not even know much about you but what Kunihiko-sama has told me about you, but your genuine acceptance to provide a place for me to stay had touched my heart since no one else would take me in."

The endearing look on Mashiro face made Yamato's heart skip a beat as he saw how earnest she was. He couldn't help but blush as he kept looking at her face.

At that instant, he averted his eyes away from hers and had his arms folded against his chest. "Uh… Yeah. Whatever. Let's just have dinner together first. Anyway, I'm Yamato Kougami, your h-husband-to-be. I hope to get along with you as well."

Hearing those words come out of Yamato's mouth, Mashiro couldn't help but smile happily. She placed her fingers together in front of her, expressing both directly and indirectly how much joy she felt towards the auburn-haired man.

"Un!" She nodded as her feelings overflowed from within her chest.

While Mashiro was taking a bath, Yamato stood in front of his house phone. He stared at it for a moment as he sorted his thoughts out.

_I'm gonna have to call Kuni and talk to him about this. It was because of me that I got Mashiro involved. And that she and Kuni believe that we're going to get officially married._

He picked up the phone and dialed Kunihiko's bar number. Within a few seconds, the call got through.

"Hello?" Yep. It was definitely Kunihiko on the other end.

"Kuni?" Yamato breathed. "We need to talk."

Kunihiko smiled casually. "Hmm? Is this about Mashiro?"

"Yeah," Yamato nodded. "Look, I… I didn't properly explain everything to you when I asked for your help on finding someone to be my wife." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "What I forgot to tell you before was that I wanted to have a fake marriage with her, not have her come here so that she would actually get married to me. That's all."

Kunihiko's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh? That's what you wanted to tell me?" A somber smile spread across his face. "To tell you the truth, Yamato… I knew that you wanted that when you came to me for help not too long ago. I just didn't say that I would have you unofficially marry Mashiro. I wanted you to go through with this marriage with her. In fact, you're scheduled to get married to her a week from today."

"Wait, what?!" Now, it was Yamato's turn to be surprised. "Kuni, what do you mean by that?!"

Kunihiko blinked. "I meant what I just told you, Yamato. After you promised to take care of Mashiro and make her happy, I called her and told her there's someone who was willing to take care of her and provide a place for her to live in. I also told her that you wanted to marry someone, and that it would be her. You just happened to strike a deal with me that day."

Yamato's anger was now flaring up from inside. "Kuni, you—"

"However, I don't mean any harm in this, Yamato," the sports bar owner continued. "The reason I did this was for you two to find happiness from this marriage, and not just any happiness—I wanted you of all people, along with Mashiro, to find true happiness from each other's company."

Yamato listened quietly. He was currently confused. "…True happiness…? What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see one day, Yamato." Kunihiko smiled on the other side of the phone call. "For now, just try to get through this marriage together. That's all I can really tell you right now."

Yamato sighed and complied to the latter's request. "I understand. I won't question you about this for now, but did you really get everything ready for next Saturday?"

"?" Then, Yamato could hear a chuckle on the other end of the line. "Do you even have to ask me that? Of course I did. Well… I only filed in the marriage certificate. You two can just wear casual clothing next week. It's not like I was going to set up a whole wedding reception at a restaurant or anything for you to get married right there in a tuxedo, Yamato. Just find some suitable clothes and do whatever's comfortable for you when the day comes."

"That's easy for _you_ to say," the auburn-haired man muttered under his breath. "I've only got a week to get ready for this!"

"Don't sweat the small stuff! It'll be fun!" the purple-haired man beamed. He quickly returned to his usual expression and smiled lightly. "Anyway, take care of Mashiro for me, okay?"

Yamato nodded. "Alright. See you later, Kuni."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you this, Yamato," Kunihiko mentioned. "We're meeting up tomorrow, so make sure to bring Mashiro with you. Bye!"

He hung up, leaving Yamato standing alone in the living room. Yamato sighed and put the phone down in place. He turned towards the direction of the bathroom afterwards.

"Guess I better check up on her," he told himself.

He walked towards the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Mashiro? You in here?"

No answer.

"? Is she in the bedroom or something?" He looked towards the inner section of the hallway and walked towards his bedroom. Then, he opened the door. "Mashiro?"

Inside of Yamato's bedroom was the sleeping figure of said wife-to-be. She had changed into a different set of clothes than the ones she wore that morning. The blanket was only covering up the lower half of her body; Yamato walked up to the bed and pulled the blanket over the sleeping girl's body to where it was nearly over Mashiro's shoulder. When he pulled away from her body, Mashiro turned in her sleep, now lying on her back. Yamato couldn't help but notice how beautiful the fawn-haired girl's face was, and came closer. His face was now close to Mashiro's and soon enough, his lips had touched hers for approximately three seconds before he pulled away.

As he looked at her, the auburn-haired man smiled tenderly. Before he knew it, novel feelings were beginning to sprout from within his heart like a chemical reaction.

"Goodnight, Mashiro," Yamato said, staring at the sleeping girl once more.

After that, he turned around and walked out the door, parting ways with Mashiro for the night.

The next day, the two of them entered Long Island and were greeted by everyone.

"Good morning, Yamato, Mashiro." There was Kunihiko with his typical smiled plastered onto his face. "Did you have a good night together yesterday?"

Mashiro smiled cheerfully. "Yes! It was nice having dinner together with Yamato yesterday."

"Looks like you had a lot of fun in your new home," the purple-haired man noted. "That's wonderful!"

Takao Maruyama smiled. "It sounds like you've gotten used to living with Yamato."

"So the newlywed life must be working out for you, huh?" Yuta Kajima asked. "Bet there's gonna be a lot of exciting things to do once you start having kids."

"Wha—" Yamato's face became a bright shade of red at that second.

Takamasa Saeki smirked. "Don't encourage them, Yuta. Or rather, don't courage _Yamato_, that is. Who knows what he'll do to her later on."

"Oh. Right." Yuta turned away, a little disturbed from Takamasa's last sentence.

Ren Shibasaki stared intently at Yamato. "…"

"Anyway," Yamato said, "let me introduce you." He glanced at Mashiro and had a smirk of his own to rival Takamasa's. "This is my soon-to-be wife, Mashiro."

…

There was an uninterested silence that filled the entire bar. Just like the indifferent expression Ren had on his face, the room had a dead atmosphere surrounding the entire area.

"What's with the air here?" Yamato inquired. "Why aren't you guys saying anything?"

Takao's eyes widened, surprised at the auburn-haired man's obliviousness. "Yamato, do you really not know?"

Yamato turned towards Takao. "Huh? What?"

Yuta now had a puzzled look on his face. "Seriously, man? We already knew about Mashiro before you introduced her to us."

"What?!" Yamato was taken aback by what he just heard. "You guys already knew about her?!"

Takamasa sneered. "Looks like Yamato over here didn't get the clue after all."

"Sometimes, a man can be dense about the situation," Ren commented nonchalantly. "It was unusual in Yamato's case."

Kunihiko laughed enthusiastically. "Anyway, how about we all celebrate for the upcoming bride and groom? They seem to be getting along well, don't you think?"

"It's nice to see a couple in a group," Takao smiled again. "Congratulations, Yamato. You as well, Mashiro."

Mashiro smiled elatedly. "Thank you, Takao-san!"

"Hopefully they're not getting along _too_ well," Takamasa teased. He enjoyed getting on Yamato's nerves, and everyone knew it.

Yuta frowned. "I think you're going a little too far there, Saeki."

"I don't know~," Takamasa smiled in an oddly pleasant manner. "Yamato might have done something to Mashiro while she was asleep last night. There's always a chance of something like that happening nowadays, Yuta."

"Err… You _do_ have a point there," Yuta admitted.

Takao blinked with an astonished look on his face. "Wait, so are we calling Yamato a pervert?"

"It could be possible, given the circumstances," Ren pointed out. "So there's a chance of it happening."

"I bet Yamato here wouldn't think twice about trying to force himself on Mashiro once they're alone in the bedroom," Takamasa smirked. "He _does_ seem like a dangerous and possessive guy."

Yamato's face flushed incredibly. "Wha—That's not something I would do, Saeki!"

Suddenly, they heard something drop on the floor. When everyone turned around to see what it was, they saw a girl who had a shocked expression on her face. She had long, turquoise hair that reached past her knees and icy blue eyes. She was holding onto her luggage with her right hand and her left hand was empty. What she had been holding in her free hand was now on the floor as she stared at the group of men far from her.

"Wh… Wh… Wh… Wh… What are you all doing?!" she yelled furiously, having heard the last bits of the conversation when she came in a few minutes ago. Her face was still flushed as her anger soared to the top of the ceiling.


	2. Episode 2

A Pleasant Surprise and Ren's Fiancée

"I bet Yamato here wouldn't think twice about trying to force himself on Mashiro when they're alone in his apartment," Takamasa smirked. "He _is_ a possessive guy, after all. And someone like him is more likely to be as sly as a fox at least."

"Sh-Shut up, Saeki!" Yamato's face flushed deep red, and it was indeed redder than a tomato at that moment, as he averted his eyes to turn away from the conversation.

Right then and there, something had dropped onto the floor. As everyone looked to see what had happened, a girl with long, turquoise hair and icy eyes was standing in front of the doorway. She had a furious expression on her face, and the top of her cheeks had a tint of red on them as she stood there. She held the luggage in her right hand with a firm and tight grip while her left hand was empty and stiff from dropping the pack-filled envelope on the floor.

"Wh-What the heck are you doing?!" she yelled angrily at the two men who were chatting before. She could not believe what she had just heard come out of their mouths when she walked in moments before. "Talking about something like out in the open inside a public building. You aren't the only ones who come to this place, you know!"

Yamato's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. "And who are you? You're not someone I've seen before, much less had a conversation with until now."

All of a sudden, Mashiro's eyes widened as a delighted smile appeared on her face. "Sophie! You're here!" She hurried over to the furious girl. "It's been a while since I last saw you. Although," she added, "it's only been two weeks since then." Then, she bent down and picked up the envelope that was next to the turquoise-haired girl's left foot. After that, she stood back up and handed it to her friend. "Here. You dropped your next manuscript, right? When's it going to come out?"

"…Un. Arigato," Sophie nodded and took the manuscript from Mashiro's hand. "About that… It's going to be a surprise. So, just wait a bit more, okay? I'll have it ready for you as soon as I can."

Mashiro returned her friend's nod. "Un! I'll wait for it to get released, so I can read it on that day. By the way, what brings you here today, Sophie?"

Sophie looked down at the floor. "Ano…"

"I gave her a call and told her to come here," Kunihiko responded in his usual manner. "Since you and Yamato are going to get married soon, I thought I'd let her know. Besides, the more the merrier. It feels nice to have someone you're familiar with to send you off on an occasion like this, so we can make the most of it this way."

Mashiro's eyes widened at that realization. "…!" Then, a smile spread across her face. "Really?! You came all the way here to congratulate me?! Sophie…" Overwhelmed with several emotions, Mashiro hugged the turquoise-haired girl, who was still holding onto her belongings.

Sophie returned the fawn-haired girl's embrace and gave a slight nod. "Un."

"What's with her?!" Yamato mutter so that the guys could hear; he was still in an unpleasant mood. "First she gets angry at us, and then she hugs my bride-to-be! What the heck is her problem, anyway?!"

"Calm down, Yamato," Ren said to his friend.

Takamasa nodded. "That's right. You shouldn't take that tone out on a girl. It's unmanly."

"And whose fault is it that I'm in a bad mood right now?!" Yamato barked back. He definitely wasn't on his high horse at the moment.

Yuta sighed. "Geez, Yamato. You get so worked up on things like these so easily. Try to cool down a bit, okay? You'll make yourself look even worse in front of Mashiro."

"Fine," the auburn-haired man grumbled. He grabbed a glass of beer and took a drink from it. "There. I'm all calm now. Happy?"

Yuta smiled. "Very. Try not to get upset over something like this, alright? You've got you career ahead of you, so don't ruin it by making a fuss or anything. It's bad enough that your personality's like a twisted, rotten young adult's."

Takao nodded. "Yuta's right, Yamato. You should try to soften up a bit for a change. It might not be a bad thing." He smiled lovingly like an older brother would. "I'm sure Mashiro would like that, as well."

"Not like I need to change myself overnight," the auburn-haired man said. "I can just take my time to do something like that, right?"

Takamasa shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even if you say something like that, you're bound to change. Meeting Mashiro had probably already changed who you are, Yamato. I can feel a different air around you today. It's not like when the five of us, including Kuni, hung out together before. It's as if you've started to transform into a new person, someone a little… unn… kinder, I'd say."

Yuta's eyes widened. "Now that you mentioned it, I can feel it, too. It's like Yamato's giving off a fuzzy aura wherever he goes or something."

"…It's the power of love…" Ren commented, staring down at the floor as if he was becoming ill due to Yamato's presence.

Takao was astonished by the stoic young man's words. "Ren?!" At the same time, he was also worried for him. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Ren continued to look down at the floor. "…It's nothing…"

"I'm surprised that Ren could say something like that," Yuta commented.

Takamasa nodded. "Yeah. It's as if he's been struck with the same illness that Yamato has."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Yamato asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Yuta sweat-dropped. "I don't think so."

Suddenly, Kunihiko smiled enthusiastically. "Alright! Let's start celebrating, shall we?" He raised a glass of beer from the counter. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Mashiro had let to go of Sophie at that point and put both of her hands together.

Sophie herself was now confused; she blinked and titled her head to her right. "Nn?" Another blink.

And so, the party began. Everyone had started out with drinks at the start of the morning, which soon shifted to an almost (but barely) mid-afternoon.

It was already two in the afternoon, and everyone, except for Kunihiko, were gathered around the table the guys had been sitting at. Sophie was now sitting next to Ren on the indifferent blond's right side; she sat up straight, folding her arms against her stomach.

The turquoise-haired girl glared at the man across from her. "…"

"What?" Yamato furrowed his eyebrows, irritated by Sophie's heated anger. "If you have something to say, just say it and get it over with already."

Uh-oh.

That only made it worse, as the turquoise-haired girl was _not_ in a very good mood that day.

"And who do you think you're talking to, young man?" Sophie asked in a similar annoyed tone. Yamato's appearance, along with his voice, had instantly put her off.

Yamato's eyes widened faintly. He was a bit taken aback at hearing those words. "What?"

This was not good. Sophie continued in her same manner.

"I'll have you know," she said. "The way you're speaking right now is not the tone you should be using when speaking to a lady. How on earth do you expect me to approve of you getting married to Mashiro like that? You should be ashamed of yourself," she ranted. "And to top it all off, you don't even show any tact towards your future wife's best friend. Isn't that more than enough to say that you don't even respect others, unless you can benefit from getting something you want?"

"Hey—" Yamato began to protest, but was cut off.

Sophie's detest for Yamato showed on her face. "Do you think I don't know about your situation, Yamato Kougami?! A liar such as yourself shouldn't request Kunihiko-sama to find you a wife just so you can fool the teachers and staff that you're married. And what's even worse, is that you've also fooled your very own students about your marital status. Isn't that the most atrocious thing a teacher can do?! You past and current actions horrify me to the very extent of having to lecture you on them. Do you really believe that you deserve an amazing young woman like Mashiro?"

"What's the heck's your goddamn problem, anyway?!" Yamato argued. "First, you walk in here. Second, you get angry at us. Third, you hog Mashiro all to yourself. Fourth, you act as though you don't know what's going on. And _last_, you start fuming at me like you can't even _stand_ the sight of me! What kind of woman gives a man an attitude like that?!"

Sophie's internal rage only became worse than before. She was now showing a bit more resentment towards the auburn-haired man. "That's right," she muttered, loud enough for Yamato and the other to hear.

"What?" Yamato questioned.

With her seeping fury aimed at Yamato, Sophie continued as her blood boiled. "Didn't you hear me? I said, 'That's right.'" She was now directing her anger and wrath at the man in front of her. "I loathe you, Yamato Kougami. More than anyone, I despise you! Why… Why did it have to be _you_?!" she shouted. "Why did _you_ of all the men in the world have to be the one to get married to Mashiro?! You're not even someone who's worthy of having my best friend! That's why… From now on, you are my rival, Yamato Kougami!"

"Huh?!" Yamato blinked, confused by the turquoise-haired girl's declaration. Then, he understood and shouted back at Sophie. "Same to you, you wretched woman! I don't care if you're Mashiro's best friend; I don't like you at all, and I certainly don't want to give her up for _your_ sake, either!"

Within a matter of time, sparks were igniting between the two who were now staring ragingly at each other's eyes. Everyone around them could sense an unpleasant aura between the two, and it was frightening how Yuta and Takao were reacting to it. Takamasa, however, was not affected, and seemed to be enjoying himself at the sight of those two. He let out a small laugh; Ren stared at Yamato and Sophie's current state nonchalantly.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Calm down, Yamato. You're only making it worse."

That seemed to catch the auburn-haired young man's attention.

Yamato looked up after sitting back down in his seat. "Ren?" he asked curiously.

"Don't start an argument with my fiancée," he said in his typical stoic manner. "It's unbefitting of you to get caught up in something like this just because you're mad at her."

Yamato reacted quite rapidly. "Wha—She's the one who started it, Ren! Don't you think you should do something about her instead?!" Then, something occurred to him. "Wait. Did you just say that she's your fiancée?"

"That's right," the blond affirmed. "This is my fiancée, Sophie Kanzaki. She is the second daughter of the Kanzaki family, and is also the famous mangaka who is well-known in Tokyo for her works, such as _Koisuru Candy _(恋する キャンディ _Koisuru Candy/Candy Love_) and _Magical Guardians ~The Protectors of Seishin Academy~ _(マジカルガーディアンズ ~精神学園の保護者たち~/_Majikaru Gādianzu ~Seishin Gakuen no Hogo-shatachi_). There are others, as well, but if you want the whole list, you can look her name up."

Yamato's eyes widened. He had not anticipated that Sophie was Ren's fiancée, nor had he thought that she was the legendary mangaka his students (and Yuta) had talked about. At the same time, that name sounded familiar to him.

He trailed off, lost in thought.

_Sophie Kanzaki… Sophie Kanzaki… Where have I heard that name before…? I know I've heard that name somewhere in the past, but… Just when did I? And where did I?_

Suddenly, a realization came to him as he remembered the time he had once read some of the turquoise-haired girl's works.

"…!" His eyes widened.

_That's right…! _He thought. _I remember now! I used to read her manga all the time when I was a kid, right before…_

"…Did you write _The Exile of a Young Heiress_ and its counterpart, _The One Who Rules over the Village_?" Yamato asked. A budding interest had begun to manifest itself inside his mind and heart at the same time. "And also, _The Tears of the Sky_?"

"That's right," Sophie confirmed. She was calmer than before, and her arms had shifted up a bit to the point where they were folded under her chest. "I wrote those three, along with some others you may have read."

Yamato was happy to hear that but remained unfazed. "So you wrote those books yourself and published them? Are you really _the_ Sophie Kanzaki?"

"Of course I am," Sophie replied. "Why wouldn't I be?" She was puzzled by Yamato's inquiries.

"I guess you're worth more than I thought…" Yamato murmured.

Sophie moved her head a little to her left. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Yamato looked down at the floor.

Yuta saw his friend's expression, suddenly grinning afterwards. "Hey! I still can't believe that Ren actually has someone he'll marry later on. But I'm glad you're here, Sophie! Ren's a really lucky guy to have met you, so I hope you'll stay with him for a long time. He might not be the best at being in a relationship with you, but he's a good guy. I'm sure the two of you are meant for each other."

Sophie glanced at Yuta and smiled. "Thank you. I hope you find someone who will be with you for a long time, too, Yuta." She closed her eyes; her expression was like that of an approving superior. "You at least deserve someone who can help take care of you at home. After all, you're a nice guy. Eventually, someone's bound to take a look at you, and if they know that you're a kind person, I'm sure they'll appreciate that kindness of yours. It's something that's needed in a world like ours, so that we won't succumb to feelings of loss and despair."

Yuta's eyes widened at those word. Then, he had a soft and gentle expression on his face. "Thanks, Sophie. I really hope you and Ren get married soon. It'd be nice to experience a happiness like yours."

"Not at all; you're a friend of mine, so it's only natural to try and help those who are your friends." By that time, Sophie had opened her eyes, and was still glancing at the curly-haired youth. "I'm sure you'll only have to wait a bit longer before you can find someone who's right for you, Yuta. Things like this take some more time before a something can happen to change your life."

Takamasa was amazed by the turquoise-haired girl's words of wisdom. "Wow. Hearing something like that really inspires me. I think I'll have to come up with a similar scene for my next script."

"You wouldn't usually hear something as beautiful and outstanding like that around this part of Tokyo," Takao smiled gratefully. "It's like taking care of your own family. You just have to be patient and take some time out of your hands to care for them in your own way. It might be a bumpy road at first, but you'll be able to get through it if you put in a lot of hard work and effort."

Yuta felt moved by the support and advice his friends were giving him. "Takao…! You… You really know how to make a guy happy, don't you?"

Takao smiled again. "I'm glad to see that my words helped a bit."

"A _bit_?!" Yuta exclaimed. "You mean, a _lot_! Those words you just said were really moving like Sophie's! You should give yourself some more appreciation, man!"

Takamasa nodded. "He's right, you know. You never really take yourself into consideration at times, Takao. Maybe you should get something for yourself, or find a really hot gal and ask her to marry you. For keeps, I mean."

"I couldn't possibly do something spontaneous like that," Takao responded. His eyes were closed, but he still retained that smile of his. "I don't have to get married to be happy. I have everything I could ever want right now."

"But didn't you ask Kuni to help you get a wife?" Yamato asked. "We all did, didn't we?"

At that moment, everyone at the table had a surprised look on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Takao asked. "I never asked Kuni to do something like that."

Ren was speechless. He could barely even say anything to counter back. But then, he knew. His astonishment returned back to its indifferent state shortly afterward. "…"

"Hnn…" Sophie's eyes narrowed after understanding the situation. "…So that's what it's about."

A grin immediately spread across Takamasa's face. He, too, had finally realized why Yamato had brought the subject up. "Aha!"

Seeing the other's expressions, Yuta lowered his eyes exhaustedly. "Ugh…"

"Huh?" Yamato tilted his head to his right. "What is it?"

Takamasa shook his head, still having the same grin on his face. "Looks like our little friend here was deceived by the CEO himself."

"What are you talking about?" the auburn-haired man questioned.

"Kuni told you a lie and said that we were all looking for someone to hook with," Yuta deducted.

"So that's what it was," Takao realized. He was still surprised, but finally came to terms with it.

Yamato was taken aback once more by what he had just heard. "What?!"

Kunihiko came up to the group after that. "Oh? What's going on? You're all staring at Yamato. Did something happen?"

"Yammy over here just found out that you tricked him," Takamasa smirked. "The look on his face is so priceless right now!" he laughed.

"Oh. Well, he'll snap out of it soon," the bar owner said casually. "At least he understands now that my services aren't always free of charge. It was short, but it was fun while it lasted."

"By the way…" Yuta mentioned. "Where's Mashiro? I haven't seen her since we were served."

Kunihiko glanced at Yuta and smiled lightly. "She's waiting outside. I took her around town, so that she could familiarize herself with the other people living here. She's not used to this area yet, but she'll probably get the hang of it once she can walk around and back on her own. I took her yesterday to a few places, but we didn't go around much, so I decided to show her some more today. We went as far as we could until we stopped at the train station for a rest. Then we headed for the mountains. She was pretty excited about it, too. You don't know how happy she was to be able to explore this city."

"That must have been fun," Takao answered. "We don't usually meet someone who has such an innocent personality like Mashiro's very often. It's actually quite refreshing to see her enjoy herself."

Sophie took a sip of her large drink. "As long as Mashiro's happy, I wouldn't mind going with her. She's one of those friends you only get once-in-a-lifetime, so I'm glad I met her." She stared at the man across from her. "More importantly, when's he going to come back to this world, anyway? He's taking his time."

"Who knows," Ren replied.

Takamasa turned towards the auburn-haired man's direction. "Yamato's internal clock isn't working right now, so you'll have to bring him back yourself if you want to get him to his senses."

"Then, can I kick him?" the turquoise-haired girl suggested willingly. "I want him to suffer for taking Mashiro away."

"Sure, go ahead," Takamasa approved. "I'm sure Yamato will like that. He might secretly be a masochist if he gets hurt."

Just then, Yamato came back to reality and furrowed his eyebrows angrily.

"Who the hell is a masochist here?!" he shouted. "Just so you know, I'm not gonna let you kick me for your own enjoyment, so I'm taking my leave right here!" He stood up and walked out swiftly.

Everyone remaining inside Long Island stared after Yamato.

"Well that's that," Ren began.

Sophie had an annoyed expression on her face. "That idiot… I can't believe he took me seriously and left."

"That's Yamato for you," Takao pointed out. "He's not one to listen, so he does whatever he wants."

"He's no fun," Takamasa commented. He was sure amused, though.

Yuta gave the dark-haired man a look. "It's your fault for saying things like that, Saeki."

"But hey," Kunihiko beamed, "It was fun seeing Yamato get worked up about something that trivial. Makes you want to find out what he'll do next."

Yuta laughed. "You said it."

Outside of Long Island, Yamato saw the fawn-haired girl and walked up to her.

"Mashiro!"

Mashiro turned around and smiled happily. "Yamato!"

"Sorry," the auburn-haired man apologized. "Were you waiting for a long time?"

Mashiro shook her head. "No, I just got back with Kun Kun. It was really fun. We went around the city and did some grocery shopping. We also stopped by a few more stores and walked back to your apartment to drop everything off, so you don't have to stop by the supermarket for anything. I'll make sure to have dinner ready after we get home."

"As expected of my wife," Yamato praised. He felt at ease to know that the fawn-haired girl took the time to do something for him. "I knew I could count on you, Mashiro."

Mashiro looked at Yamato and smiled. "It's the least I could do. We're going to get married soon, so I'm adjusting to living with you, Yamato. Anyway, let's head back home. It's almost six."

Yamato nodded, and together, the two of them began to walk to their apartment. He was on the fawn-haired girl's left and their hands were almost close enough to touch.

"By the way," Yamato added with a regular smile etched onto his face, "how is it that you and Ren's fiancée are best friends?" His sunny smile soon became an angry scowl. "She has a pretty rude mouth, and she's not what I'd call any guy's type but Ren's. But I can't believe she wrote the stuff I like," Yamato sighed. He had mixed feelings about the thought of Sophie being the author of the books (not manga) he mentioned earlier. "This has _got_ to be a disaster. I used to read her manga before my senior year of high school, too. It was a blast back then, but now… I don't know _how_ I feel about this. _And_, I'm not even sure _what_ I should be feeling right now."

Mashiro kept smiling as they made their way back. "I met Sophie during the summer of my last year in junior high. She and I went to different schools, but we ended up going to the same high school after that." She glanced at the ground and continued to smile. "It's strange…" Then, she looked back at Yamato. "I never would have thought that I would soon become friends with the same girl who wrote my favorite manga series. But… Just like a few of my other friends, Sophie is irreplaceable to me. And so are you, Yamato."

"Really?" Yamato asked, a bit flabbergasted that Mashiro would think that way about him. "I'm irreplaceable to you, Mashiro?"

Mashiro nodded and looked straight at the path in front of them. "Un. You were one of the people who cared to even take me in, but… My feelings for you aren't only because of that. I don't know why, but I started to like you more and more before meeting you. I heard a lot about you, but these feelings began to overflow. I couldn't stop thinking about you the day Kun Kun called me and told me of your situation. However, he said that you wanted to marry me, and so I believed that you truly felt that way, even though it was for the sake of keeping your job. I know it's selfish of me to think this way, but I couldn't help myself from doing so. I knew you didn't actually want to get married to a woman you didn't know, but I wanted to do this for you. I guess you can say that I also thought of you as my soulmate, Yamato."

"Mashiro…"

Yamato wasn't sure if he felt the same way Mashiro had when she had heard about him, but he could probably relate to a similar feeling. Yet… the thought of her being his soulmate was most likely how he felt at the moment. At least, that was how he comprehended it.

_I wonder what this feeling is. _Yamato's eyelids lowered themselves towards the very ground they were standing on. He felt a peculiar twinge of pain as he pondered the possibility of what it could be. _Am I… Am I starting to fall for Mashiro? Is this pain… the same one that she felt a few days ago before she met me? If so… I want to know… Is what I'm feeling right now… real…?_

At that time, Sophie and Ren had reached the blond's apartment. They entered it, and Ren closed and locked the door behind them. Sophie stepped into the kitchen and took a look around.

"What do you want for dinner, Ren?" she asked. She quickly searched the cabinets and opened the refrigerator door.

Ren stared at his fiancée, and answered. "Nothing. I don't eat at home or at work, so I take dietary supplements instead. They keep me going throughout the day and if I'm working a nightshift, I take them with me and consume them to keep myself awake until I'm done. You don't have to do anything for me; just cook for yourself if you want, Sophie."

"I can't do that," the turquoise-haired girl responded as she turned to face Ren. "You're my fiancé, Ren. I don't want you to overwork yourself, so I want to do something for you. If your parents found out that all you take during the day is supplements and water, they'd be worried about you. That's why, I'll make sure to take proper care of you this time." She smiled affectionately at Ren. "I'm sorry I could do anything for you when we were in high school and while I was working in Shinjuku, so I'll do a better job this time. I'll cook for you and I'll also stay with you for as long as you want me to because… I love you, Ren."

The words Sophie had spoken surprised the blond as he stared back at her. He soon realized that he felt the same way about his fiancée, and smiled softly. Then, he walked up to her and placed his right hand on her head.

"Thank you, Sophie," he said gratefully. He was glad to have Sophie around as it meant he wouldn't be alone this time.

Sophie glanced up at Ren and smiled back softly while she blushed. She held onto his right hand with her left. "…Let's go to the supermarket together."

"Yeah." Ren nodded, and the two of them made their way there together as they held hands.


	3. Episode 3

An Idol on Hiatus and the Urge to Ask

The doorbell to Takamasa's apartment rang ten minutes after Takamasa had made sure everything was all right for Airi's arrival. He strolled towards the door in a fashionable manner and opened it with a pleasant grin to welcome his high school girlfriend. When he _did_ open it, there was a girl with light purple waist-length hair and bright green eyes standing in front of him. She smiled at him and bowed to greet him.

"Hajimemashite," she said. "My name is Airi Hirabayashi, and I have come here today to live with you from now on, Takamasa Saeki-san."

With a smile, Takamasa replied with a, "Come on in and make yourself at home. I'll show you to the bedroom, so you can put your things away in there. After that, I'll make some breakfast for you."

"Thank you," the light purple-haired girl answered. She stepped inside, taking her shoes off at the entrance. "Pardon the intrusion." She glanced around. "Hmm… This is a really nice apartment from what I expected. I had imagined your place to have a lot of bookshelves, Taka-kun." She lifted up her bags and held them out to Takamasa. "Since you insisted, here. You can take my things to the bedroom while you show me around the area."

Takamasa let out a chuckle. He then took Airi's belongings and smiled at her gesture. "Alright, my love. Whatever you say."

Airi frowned almost like she was pouting. "Mou… Taka-kun… You never used to do that when we were in high school. Why are you being like this _now_?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the scriptwriter inquired. "The two of have changed since we last saw each other, but we're still in love, aren't we? This is partially your fault that I've become this way, Airi, so you have to make up for it."

"You mean the time we spent apart because of my career?" Airi's expression didn't budge in the slightest. She sighed with slumped shoulders. "I can't believe you've become like this right after I left in pursuit of my dream." Her eyes lowered to her left. "Well, not that I care much about it anymore, but still." She shifted her gaze at Takamasa with an unpleased look. "You can't just turn yourself into someone who decides to be an uncomfortable teasing husband. Although we aren't married, you should try to act natural and be yourself at times like these."

Takamasa laughed. "What, you don't like it? I thought it'd be a fresh start to have a bit of enjoyment. Looks like I was wrong. But what's even more surprising than seeing your reaction is the fact that you've decided to go on hiatus for the time being. I don't know what happened, but it looks like you've gotten worn out to the core."

Airi nodded. "Bull's-eye. You're right about that. I got tired of it after a while." She sighed again, looking down. "Maybe I should've just called it quits, after all. I'm so fed up with working as an idol that it's no longer become a part of my own dream. Lia's also focusing on an acting career, and she's also gotten some solos in. Because of that, there have also been rumors of our duo breaking up. I know I'm the one who's being selfish in this, but I really don't want to be a celebrity anymore."

"Then," Takamasa began, "how about living in this city without going back to the entertainment industry? You don't have to ever think about being an idol and actress anymore. You can be free to do whatever you want if you stay here for the rest of your life, Airi."

Seeing her high school sweetheart's care for her, Airi hesitated. "But… I'd only cause trouble for you, Taka-kun. If you work all the time in order to provide for us, I'd feel like a burden to you, and I don't want that."

Takamasa gave Airi a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of it." He waited a few more seconds before saying anything else. "Well, then. We should continue the hotel service. Let's go. You can follow me, and I'll show you the hallway to the bed for you to stay in."

"?" Airi blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Taka-kun…?"

Within less than seven seconds, Takamasa had already started walking and turned right [from his direction]. Then, he ended up at the end of the corridor and set Airi's luggage down to free his hands and open the bedroom door. Shortly afterwards, he picked the two bags back up and went into the room, putting the light purple-haired girl's belongings down near the right side of the bed [from the side the front of the bed was facing to where someone could see the wall on the other side].

Takamasa let out a breath and looked at the bags that were still in his hands. "Huh… So this is what it's like living with someone."

Airi came in after that. "? Did you say something, Taka-kun?"

Takamasa placed his hands on his knees, not facing the celebrity as he kept breathing heavily. "No, nothing."

"By the way," Airi mentioned, narrowing her eyes at the sight in front of her, "I can see your butt sticking out. Are you trying to chase me out of here or something? Never have I thought I would see you do something as ill-mannered and repulsive as to show your rear end in front of me, especially since I'm your girlfriend. It's basically sexual harassment, you know!"

Takamasa took a look back, still panting. "I'm not doing this on purpose. Hah…" His body seemed exhausted from having to move around and work each and every day for who-knows-how-many hours. "I just happened to have more work to get done this week than I would have expected. I was actually more motivated than I was before."

"Taka-kun, you shouldn't overwork yourself," Airi scolded her high school boyfriend. "You'll lose your stamina and fall ill if you don't take any time off every once in a while. I know you work hard every day for your scripts, but this is something I cannot approve of. You'll end up in the hospital sooner or later. That's why I was against the idea of you working at night in the first place." She sighed. "You haven't changed at all since our school days."

Takamasa let out a resigning chuckle. "Ahaha…" He stood up and regained his composure. After that, he turned around to face the light purple-haired girl. "Not like I was still into my old routine or anything, but I've been working both day and night for some time now. I've decided to change my ways and become a more productive man this time."

Airi facepalmed herself and frowned in disappointment, keeping her right hand over her face. "You may be a great worker a hundred percent of the time, but you're certainly an idiot, despite the brilliant resolve you've implanted into your head. Why did you turn out this way, Taka-kun…?"

"I couldn't help it," Takamasa casually replied. "It's like I was made for my job after being cut out from scratch. Besides," he added, "I really love what I do for a living, and that's how…" He sneered. "I came to be the Takamasa Saeki you know today, Airi."

A crosshurt appeared near Airi's forehead area, showing her irritation. "Get out of here, you dumbass!"

Half an hour later, the high school lovebirds were sitting across from each other at the dining table. As they ate breakfast together, they began to engage in a conversation.

"Say," Airi began with an eye smile, "It's been a while since we he had a meal together. The most we ever did was eat lunch at school, or have breakfast together at your house with your parents. Sometimes, we would even have dinner at each other's houses. It was really fun back then, wasn't it?"

Takamasa glanced at Airi and smiled, but there were barely any euphoric emotions to go with it. "Yeah." He stared off into the distance; his eyes reflected a kind of sorrow in them. "Things were happier during the days we spent together with everyone."

_But now, they're not, _he thought. _It just hasn't been the same since that time and everything's changed. We've all lost something that can never be returned, and that's that. There's no way we can go back to the happiness we once had without the sacrifices we've already made. Isn't that right? Father, Mother? Kuni? Yamato? Takao? Ren? Yuta? We can't turn back time, so we can only keep moving towards the present, which soon becomes the future in less than a second. That's how things have worked out for us in the years that have gone by with the struggles that we've gone through. There's not much but to keep going in towards the path in front of us now. That's the only way we can move forward from the memories and experiences buried in our hearts._

Airi saw the scriptwriter's far-off expression and stopped in place. She lowered her eyes and frowned sadly while thinking about Takamasa.

_Taka-kun…_

Deep within her heart, she must have sensed how he felt. Airi did not say anything and kept being quiet for the rest of the time. Then, she returned to eating the rest of her portion of the breakfast Takamasa had prepared for the two of them, and carried on without bothering the man she had been dating since high school. There was some distance between the two for the rest of the morning before they ended up at Long Island with the Mashiro, Yamato, Sophie, and the others.

Inside Long Island, everyone except for Kunihiko, were gathered around the usual table. They were chitchatting and were having a fun conversation as time went by.

"I didn't expect to see you again here in Azabu living with Saeki, Airi," Yuta stated. "You haven't changed since we last saw each other."

Airi glanced at Yuta and smiled. "Aha! I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again outside of work myself, Yuta. It's been a few years since we last had a real talk as friends instead of co-workers, so I really missed being with everyone. It's like we were destined to reunite after a ton of hardship, huh?"

"Yeah!" Yuta exclaimed excitedly. "I can hardly believe the fact that we're still friends after all these years! It's practically a miracle that you're here today, Airi."

Airi pouted. "That makes everything sound as though you'd rather have me dead, Yuta. And you say things as if we stopped being friends a long time ago. I mean, we still managed to say hi to each other at work sometimes—though, it was usually a formal greeting as co-workers at times. But what makes me disappointed most of all is that you would say something like that when we've known each other since high school. It kind of puts a dent in my friendly heart, you know."

"Sorry, sorry!" Yuta apologized lightly. "It's just that I really missed the old times we had since high school, that's all. Besides, it hasn't been the same since you started working as an idol. Don't you think we'd all be worried about you, and that we would miss you all the time? It's a pretty tough world out there outside of making everyone laugh. Besides, you've had to take singing and acting lessons, along with dancing, right? Being a world-renowned celebrity means you have to put in more work than I do since I'm only on TV as a host to entertain people who are watching the show, such as the audience. Unlike you, I don't perform live on stage where concerts are held or go to other countries for work. What's more important is that I at least think of you as a good friend and that I care about your health and safety. That's what the guys and I are here for—to check up on you so that we know you're okay."

Airi's eyes widen when she saw how much her friends had thought about her all those years she had lost contact with them. "Yuta… Everyone…" A smile formed from her lips as she looked all around her. "Thank you so much… If I had taken more time off to see you all, you wouldn't had gone through so much pain and suffering up until now. Please forgive me for not thinking about your feelings sooner. If I had noticed that you were worried about me beforehand, I would have come home more often. I'm sorry for everything I couldn't do for you."

Takao smiled and shook his head. "It wasn't any trouble at all. You didn't cause us to have any hurt feelings, Airi. We're actually glad to see you doing so well this whole time. In fact, with you being here, we've gotten another member in our group. It makes us happy to see you again, so don't think anything of it. We're all proud of you and we're thankful that you're here."

Kunihiko glanced at Airi and nodded. "That's right. We all care about you and think of you as a part of our group. We all love you in our own way, so take the time to enjoy yourself and have some fun while you're here."

"Although, it's not like we're all in the mood to see your disgusting face, anyway," Sophie retorted. "I'm not in the _least_ jubilant—_at all_—to see you again. You're an eyesore to be around, and I would never want to think of you as a friend or acquaintance no matter what, Airi Hirabayashi. You and Yamato Kougami over there aren't even worth my time of day."

Airi angrily frowned at the turquoise-haired girl sitting next to Ren. "And I can _clearly_ see that you of all people have not changed at least _one bit_ since we last met, Sophie. How many years ago was that? Three? Four? I _still_ can't believe that we're the same age, and that you're right near me."

"Pfft," was Sophie's reply. She had become much more hostile than when she had first met Yamato. "I'm not even sitting _next_ to you or Takao-san for that matter. Boy, for an idol who's gone on a hiatus, you're sure a stupid one at that. If you check your diction, you can find a few mistakes in what you just said. Also, the last time we saw each other was four years ago at our high school graduation. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can beat me at my own word usage. As both a mangaka and literature writer, I can spend more time correcting you than a teacher can."

That earned a "Hey!" from Yamato, who was sitting next to Takamasa, who in turn, was sitting in the middle of both Airi and said redhead. While the two sitting on his left and right were both irritated from Sophie's insults, Takamasa was quite amused by the banter. He let out a chuckle and sat back with a gleam in his eye.

"This chat we're having is something I could also use in my next script," he commented. "Of course, I'd rather have Sophie's permission to fully utilize it in my own way. Since we're both famous for our works, wouldn't it be natural to ask about this sort of thing?" He glanced at the mangaka and clasped his hands together. "How about it, Sophie? Think you could let me use our conversation for a small portion of my writing?"

Sophie nodded. "Go ahead. I don't mind if you incorporate it into what you do for a living. One thing any author knows without doubt is that without reality, there is no such thing as fantasy. That's how we come up with ideas when we write or draw, so it also counts as something an artist would use when they're working on their next project. However, cooking and music have some sort of part in it, as well. You could also say that every occupation on our planet is likely to have a bit of fiction in them, but it mostly depends on how we utilize our minds and bodies to make our works successful. So, it is up to a person to use their own abilities to create something unrealistic and share it in order to make what is make-believe into a pseudo reality. Someone needs to notice what we produce with our own hands to help promote our forms of imagination, which keep our lives skyrocketing with sales the second we release anything. It's simply up to us to make something of ourselves out in this world. Our lives rely on how useful we are to those who enjoy what we can give them."

"I see," Takamasa noted with a nod of his own. He paid close attention to the so-called words of wisdom as he took in all the information Sophie had given. "So how we can do something for another person can also be what we can do for us. That truly makes everything more tangible than not doing anything at all." He pulled back a bit and continued to speak so that the others could hear what he was saying. "It all makes sense now. In order to reach above where we stand, we have to keep doing what our careers ask of us, and transform our tasks into part of our own lives. Then, it becomes a major fragment of us, but it isn't exactly permanent."

Sophie smiled as if the scriptwriter had hit the jackpot. "Precisely. If you keep going from there, you'll eventually reach past the sky in your mind, and go beyond to another realm or universe. That, my kindred, is what being a writer is about. Take a stick and change it into a sword, if you will."

"You are absolutely right about that!" Takamasa agreed. His expression softened a bit as he felt a profound respect for the turquoise-haired girl sitting across from him. "I feel as though I've gained a new tenacity when it comes to writing, and it's all thanks to you, my dear friend." He stood up and held out his right hand towards the center of the table for a handshake.

Sophie looked at the scriptwriter and smiled mutually as she got up from her seat. She held out her arm and took old of the hand that awaited hers. "Don't mention it," she said proudly. "It's the least I could do for a fellow writer. We also need to find a way to help each other out and give one another influential advice during these changing times, so you can count on me if you need any words of inspiration, Saetama."

Takamasa and Sophie's friendly exchange earned a couple of annoyed looks from Airi and Ren. The others looked up at the two writers; Takao, unfortunately, saw Ren and Airi's diagonally heated stares at towards the other two: Ren's at Takamasa, and Airi's toward Sophie. Their glares put a heavy load of pressure on the poor lawyer, which made him feel like backing away from the situation. He could not, however, since his seat was all the way against the window. If he wanted to get away from them, he and Yuta would have to be in the other's spot instead. Mashiro was smiling at the sight of the give-and-take-like atmosphere Sophie and Takamasa were giving off and found herself giggling at their bond. Yamato had his usual attentive expression planted onto his face with his arms folded against his chest as he looked at them; Yuta smiled, and Kunihiko seated himself next to the comedian and Mashiro with a flickering satisfaction.

"Saeki," Ren said firmly. "Get your hands off my fiancée."

Takamasa's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of Ren's irritated expression. He blinked, confused at the blond's sudden change of character towards him. "Huh? Ren, what's gotten into you?"

"Sophie and I are engaged, as you already knew about a month ago," the blond reminded the scriptwriter. "As our parents designated the engagement, she and I are to be wed at the beginning of June. Try focusing on your own relationship instead of going to Sophie for any advice you may want in the future. I'm sure you can write something based off of your love life or get your ideas together when you start writing your next script. Aren't you in your 'productive' stage right now, anyway? You could keep writing without stopping to take a break and write more than one entire script for each episode of any TV series, whether it's a sitcom, romcom, melodrama, or whatever else you're currently writing for. It _is_ your job to keep finding other ways to arrange how you want the scenes to play out, isn't it? You can't always have someone help you with your career."

Takamasa stared at Ren with a posing expression for a few seconds before his lips curled up into an understanding smile. "Aha. So that's what this is about. Ren, you're jealous of me spending time with your fiancée most of all, aren't you~?"

Airi's eyes widened at hearing the scriptwriter's deduction. "Huh? Is that true? Ren, you're engaged to Sophie, and you actually _like_ her that way?" Then, she frowned and her shoulders slumped down. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I thought we were all friends with each other," she pouted.

"Hahaha!" Yuta laughed. "Don't you remember _at all_, Airi? It happened during our second year of high school. Ren told us that his parents decided for him to have an arranged marriage sometime in the future. And that person was Sophie."

Mashiro smiled. "Now that I think about it, I remember that Sophie told me about Ren the day after they got engaged. It was right before homeroom began. I heard about you from her, Ren." She gave an eye smile after glancing at the blond. "I'm sure it must have been love at first sight for the both of you."

Ren's eyes widen as a hint of red appeared on his face. "…!"

Takao smiled naturally. "Wasn't it during lunch when Ren mentioned their engagement? He was as neutral as ever when he first told us. We were all surprised for a moment, but then, we were all happy for him."

"Yeah," Yamato acknowledged. "It flew over us in a short amount of time, but it was a nice change of pace for us. When Kuni heard about it, he was in high spirits himself. We really had a great time together when we celebrated back then."

Mashiro glanced at Yamato with a quizzical look of her own. "Really? Sophie, Lia, and I were the only ones at our school who knew about it. But our school was really big, so it was more of a secret between us three."

"Ehh?!" Yuta shouted. "Lia went to school with you two?! She never told me your names, just what you were like. I even heard that one of her friends was working on manga, but I didn't think it'd be Sophie! I also heard that your school was a top one, too!" By that time, he had already calmed down. "And anyway, all I really knew was that she had a few good friends over there."

Mashiro placed her left hand on her face and tilted her head to the side. "Ara? You knew Lia as well, Yuta? Sophie and I met her during our first year at Seishin Academy."

"Seishin Academy?" Yamato asked. "You mean, the elite training school that has the battle and protection system?"

"That's right," Mashiro confirmed. "I spent my high school days at Seishin with Lia and Sophie when we started out there. It was really fun." She closed her eyes and rested her head on her hand. "Ah~! I miss those times! We had lunch together and were also in the student council. There was also a lot of combat training and concerts, too. Every day we were there was exciting, and it was like a never-ending festival."

Sophie nodded with closed eyes and folded arms. "Un. I really liked it at Seishin, and I also based my manga series on it, too. It was exactly as Mashiro had described, and it still is, even today. There was never a day when we were bored, but what was least exciting for me was when Airi Hirabayashi transferred into the school." She opened her eyes and stared at the light purple-haired girl. "It was like being hit with a shovel from behind, and I can tell you that it wasn't pleasant at all."

Airi's eyes narrowed in irritation, and her whole expression showed on her face. "…It's not like I liked meeting you, either, Sophie. Lia was the only reason I even wanted to go to school there; hearing about school from her really captivated my attention in the first place. Plus, my parents told me about it, as well. You can also thank them for the opportunity if you want."

Takao closed his eyes and smiled at the girls' dispute. "At any rate, I'm sure it was a good experience for you, Airi. You had the chance of spending your time with girls, instead of guys." The lawyer opened his eyes again and looked down a bit with a thoughtful expression. "There was never a moment when you weren't with us, so I felt as though it was because of us that you didn't have many female friends until you went there."

Airi glanced at Takao with some realization in her eyes. "Takao…" She shook her head. "No, it was my fault, too. I never tried to make any friends with the girls at our school except for Shiro and Lia. I'm sorry."

"It's not like you need to apologize for anything," Takao replied with his usual smile. "Perhaps we didn't do anything for you, which was something I thought about more than once. However, I'm glad you made at least a few friends without our company. It took a bit of my concern away."

Airi smiled back. "Un. Arigato."

Sophie glanced towards her right. "If you want to thank anyone, I think you should at least say a few words to Lia when she comes here. Then again, Mashiro deserves some appreciation since she and the ditz over here have been friends since junior high."

"Huh? Really?" Takao inquired. "I never would have guessed. It's nice to know that Airi has another friend. Thank you, Mashiro, Sophie."

Sophie frowned. "I didn't want you to thank me. I was just stating the facts."

Takao saw the turquoise-haired girl's expression and smiled. "I know. But thank you, anyway," he reiterated.

"…" Sophie kept frowning and didn't look at anyone on her left, still folding her arms.

Ren glanced at his fiancée and smiled. "…"

Kunihiko viewed the sight at the table and displayed a smile of his own. "How about we have a meal together before we close for the night? I'm sure all this talking is making everyone hungry."

"Good idea," Yamato smirked. "We still haven't eaten lunch yet, so you can count me in." He glanced at Mashiro. "How about you, Mashiro? Wanna have something to eat together before we head back?"

Mashiro smiled and nodded. "Un! I want some omurice and tonkatsu with a cold glass of water."

"Haha," Yamato said. "You must really like Kuni's cooking. I wouldn't mind having shrimp fried rice to eat, though."

Kunihiko nodded. "Coming right up. I'll take everyone else's order right now, so don't hesitate to tell me what you want." Then, he added, "You should cook yourself, Yamato. I'm not the only one who can prepare all this food and serve someone, you know."

Yamato frowned at the sports bar owner and sighed. "Fine. I'll help you out. But we're adding a lot of rice and shrimp to my dish, okay?"

"Of course," the purple-haired man responded. "We have plenty of ingredients, so I'll give you a big plate of it."

Yamato grinned at the service he was getting from Kunihiko. "All right! A deal's a deal, then. How about everyone else?"

"I'll have some pizza," Sophie immediately replied. "I've been into it lately."

"That'll take too long to make!" Yamato retorted.

Sophie frowned. "No, it won't. You can have it done within fifteen minutes, if you count the time it takes to put the sauce and toppings on, and the time it takes to bake. It should be as simple as that, Yamato Kougami."

"Gg…!" the auburn-haired man grimaced. He hated admitting it, but he knew the turquoise-haired girl was correct. He let out another sigh. "Alright. I'll make it for you. Any toppings you want?"

Sophie smiled in a satisfied manner when she saw Yamato's obedience. "Bacon, pineapple, and spinach. Make it a large one for everyone to share. Also, I'm really hungry today, so you might want to make another couple of them. There's still time for us to celebrate, so make sure to cook a lot of food today."

Takao chuckled. "You can count me in as well. I'm looking forward to the food when it's ready."

"Then," Ren said, "I'll have some pasta and hamburger. I'm sure Takao and the others would like some, too."

Takamasa smiled. "Then, some pasta and curry for me. You know we're all starving to death over here, so make it fast, Yamato."

"Don't forget to back some cookies and give us some orange juice," Yuta recommended. "We could always use some snacks whenever we eat together."

Airi raised her hand up. "And some jelly! Plus, some cabbage and apples. Oh, and a big bowl of salad, along with some sandwiches and soda. It's a party, right? We should have some more to eat and drink."

A cruciform quickly appeared on Yamato's forehead. "You guys are all demanding! If you're going to order that much stuff to eat, just order something we can all eat together like sukiyaki or nabe!"

Airi pouted. "But it's too early to eat them! Nabe, especially. We should have it in winter. We're still in spring, Yamato! Think a little before telling us something like that."

"But sukiyaki might not be bad," Yuta commented. "I remember we had some together at my place. It was really good, and we even had seconds. There was also another time when we had a third serving of it, too."

"I know that," the light purple-haired girl replied. "But Yamato's just a pain to deal with sometimes. Nagging to us about our late lunch. We've been starving for quite some time, and it's already put him in a bad mood today."

"Hey!" Yamato yelled angrily. "I'll have you know that cooking for a group of people takes more time than you think. If you're going to complain about it, don't even think about eating the food I make."

Now, it was time for Airi to counter back. "Geez, Yamato. Do you have any idea how much time we've spent on chatting all day? I'm hungry, and so is everyone else, so just get to it already!"

"Alright, alright," Yamato finally complied. "I'll go make all of your ridiculous orders. Just give me some time, and I'll have them out before sunset."

Mashiro made a face when she heard the word "sunset" come out of Yamato's mouth. "Ehhhhh? Sunset? But that's in two hours! We're all going to die from starvation by then, Yamato." She placed her head on the table along with both of her arms. "Ahh~, I'm hungry…"

"Nice going, Yamato," Takamasa narrowed his eyes as he demeaned the physics teacher. "You're going to let your wife starve to death? How cruel can you be?"

Airi nodded. "Sou, sou. Don't you feel bad for Shiro? I thought you two were supposed to help each other out in time of need."

"I didn't let you marry Mashiro just so you could neglect her, Yamato," Kunihiko reminded the recent newlywed. "You're her husband, aren't you? The role of a married man outside of work is to support his family, and you're not doing a fine job of treating your wife the way she _should_ be treated."

Yamato averted his gaze embarrassedly as his face turned red. "I-It's not like I was trying to abuse Mashiro or anything! I was just frustrated at the different orders we had, that's all. I wouldn't do something as to let her starve on purpose."

"So you would do it unintentionally?" Kunihiko asked. "That's a horrible thing to do on your part."

Yamato swiftly turned his head towards Kunihiko. "N-No! I only said that in a hurry, Kuni!"

Kunihiko laughed. "Ahaha. I know what you were trying to say. I was just kidding, you know."

"…"

"Now, get to it," the purple-haired man ordered. "We've got to feed everyone here and we're wasting too much time."

"Yeah, yeah…" Yamato complained. He walking into the kitchen with Kunihiko and began the preparations.

After everyone had eaten together, they started leaving. Takamasa and Airi were the first ones to walk out the door. As they took a stroll home, the light purple-haired celebrity began to speak.

"Ne, Taka-kun," she said with a friendly smiled. She was also blushing as they kept walking.

Without looking back, Takamasa asked, "Hmm?"

"Do you think I can help you with your script?" Airi proposed. "You know, since you've been working hard lately, I was wondering if there was anything I could do for you. We've been going out for over six and a half years, so we can try helping each other out every now and then. Besides, we're also…"

"…in love with each other, even today?" Takamasa finished with a smile. He knew in his heart that he felt the same way towards Airi. His chest was still overflowing the affection he held since he fell in love with her. He looked down with strong emotions as the kept talking. "I appreciate the fact that you still care about me, so of course I'd let you help me, Airi. That's a part of what couples can do for their loved ones, after all."

Airi's expression brightened. "Then, does that mean…?"

Takamasa nodded. "Yeah. You can help me with my script. You're my future partner, so there's no way I would ever refuse anything you want to do for me." He turned around and looked at his girlfriend tenderly. "You're the only one I love, Airi. I would never want to hurt you, and I always want to be with you."

"Taka-kun…" Airi smiled softly; tears formed in her eyes and rolled down shortly after with the overwhelming emotions that poured out from her heart. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands and kept smiling. "I love you, too. I've never forgotten about you all these years. You're the only one in the world for me, and I've always wanted to stay with you after all these years."

"Then," Takamasa said, "let's be together for the rest of our lives, and hope to meet again when we reincarnate into this world. That way, we could fall in love with each other again, and keep on loving one another for all eternity."

Airi nodded and closed her eyes. There were still tears in them as she continued to respond to the scriptwriter's words. "Un!" She opened her eyes and ran up to her lover, wrapping her arms around Takamasa's neck. "I want to be with you forever, Taka-kun. I don't ever want to leave your side."

Takamasa soon return Airi's embrace and wrapped his arms around her back. "Me neither. I'll keep on loving you no matter what, and I'll stay by your side." He buried his head on Airi's shoulder and it was as if they were in their own world with no one else to both them for a while before heading towards their apartment.

Later that night in Yamato and Mashiro's apartment, the two of them had already finished eating dinner together, and Yamato was about to get ready to take a bath. All of a sudden, Mashiro gazed at Yamato.

"Um, Yamato?" she asked. A thought had crossed her mind when they were eating together at the dining table. She looked down with a sad expression and decided to bring up the subject. "There's something's I've been wanting to ask you since dinner. I've thought about it for a while now after we got married, so I'd like you to hear me out on this."

The auburn-haired man nodded as a serious expression appeared on his face. "Yeah. What is it? If it's been troubling you, I'll do what I can to help you with it, Mashiro."

Mashiro gave a slight nod of her own without looking at her husband. "Un."

She became silent for some time before confronting the matter.

_When I think about it now, _she thought. _I've noticed that we don't actually know much about each other. In fact, I haven't even asked Yamato about his family, and yet… I know about the things he likes to do, along with his favorite dishes. Even though we've been married for nearly a month, we haven't completely been able to understand one another._

At that moment, Mashiro looked up and stared into Yamato's eyes with a stern expression on her face. "I want to know… about your family, Yamato."

"Huh?" A puzzled look took over Yamato's solemn one. When he realized what he had just been asked, his eyes widened. "…!" He immediately understood what the fawn-haired girl had meant and he was soon in a blank state.


	4. Episode 4

Yamato and Mashiro's Wedding; The Next Heroine: Airi Hirabayashi

It was the day of Yamato and Mashiro's wedding and everyone was gathered outside in the middle of Yamato and Mashiro's apartment complex and Long Island for the event. Kunihiko served as the minister of the wedding, while the others (excluding Yamato and Mashiro) were watching as the main couple of the day were standing next to each other.

"Here I present to you lady and gentlemen, the casual wedding ceremony of Yamato Kougami and Mashiro Tsuneha," Kunihiko began. "Please note that this only going take about less than half an hour, or perhaps less than an hour of your time." He glanced at Yamato, then at Mashiro. "Now, it's about time to exchange the rings. We won't really need the vows before the wedding rings, so I'll just have you two say them as you make a promise on them since this is a short wedding, anyway. However, I will address you both by your names for this part. First is Yamato Kougami. I need you to repeat after me; hold the wedding ring up a bit, then say: 'With this ring, I promise to be with you for the rest as I shall live, in sickness and in health. And I will…"

"…always love you," Yamato finished triumphantly. He glanced at Kunihiko. "Isn't that what you were about to say just now, Kuni?"

Kunihiko placed his right hand on the back of his head. "Er… Well, yeah, Yamato. I wanted you to say those words, but you didn't let me finish. So…" He looked at Yamato quizzically with his typical modest smile. "I'll let you finish them for me. _But_. You have to say them confidently and marvelously before I can let you marry Mashiro. This _is_ your wedding, after all."

"Yeah, yeah," the man of the day said, brushing off the former's warning. "I know what to do, so just leave it to me." All of a sudden, Yamato gazed at Mashiro. There was a serious look in his eyes as he stared directly at her. Then, he recited the very same words Kunihiko had spoken before while holding up the ring that was meant for his bride. "With this ring, I promise to be with you for the rest as I shall live, in sickness and in health. And I will always love you." He took a step towards Mashiro, placed his left hand around hers, and smiled tenderly as he looked at her left ring finger. "I give you… my eternal love." He steadily slipped the wedding ring onto her finger, finishing his part of the ceremony before stepping back to let Mashiro do hers.

Mashiro looked up at Yamato and smiled gently as she held up the wedding ring inbetween her right thumb and index finger. "With this ring… I promise to be with you for the rest of my life, in sickness and in health. From this day forth, I will always hold an eternal love for you, even after I die. I will carry it with me to the next world and beyond to ensure that I will forever be yours, and yours only, after I reincarnate." She looked at Yamato's left ring finger and came close, gently placing her hand around it. "So I give you the love embedded in this ring in order to mark our promise with one another." She put the ring onto Yamato's finger and completed the wedding procedures.

Now, the two of them were officially man and wife, earning an applause from Kunihiko, Sophie, Ren, and the other three guys who witnessed the whole event.

"Congratulations, Yamato, Mashiro," the purple-haired CEO congratulated the newlyweds. "You're going to be together for a long time now, so you also need to help each other as time goes on."

Sophie glanced at Mashiro and smiled at her best friend. "Congratulations, Mashiro." Suddenly, she ran up to the fawn-haired girl and hugged her as though it would be the last time she ever got to see Mashiro. Tears formed from her eyes as stayed in the same position. "From now on, you're not going to be Mashiro Tsuneha, but Mashiro Kougami. That's why… I'll say goodbye to the old you, and welcome the person you've become today." She pulled back and kept smiling, taking out something from her messenger bag. She held it out to Mashiro with her left hand. "You said you were looking forward to reading it a few weeks ago when I told you I'd be working on a new series. Since then, I've been traveling as much as I could to find a perfect background for the scenes and settings, so that I could draw them. In addition, when you told me you were going to get married, I was really surprised. I wanted to give this to you as a present no matter what because I didn't want to miss the chance of doing so on your wedding day. You've always been an important person to me, Mashiro."

Mashiro's eyes widened. "Sophie…" She smiled softly at the turquoise-haired girl. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. You've always been important to me, as well." She took the first volume of Sophie's latest manga series with gratitude, and held it to her chest. "I'll treasure this for a long time."

Takamasa glanced at Yamato and Mashiro. "Congrats, you two. I was really worried about dear ol' Yamato hear, but it looked like he did a good job with the wedding ring."

"…Congrats," Ren said, smiling at the married couple.

Takao closed his eyes approvingly. "Take care of Mashiro, okay, Yamato? She's someone you can't find anywhere else in this city, so be good to her, alright?"

"Don't worry about it, Takao," Yamato reassured the kinder man. "I won't hurt her feelings or chase her out of the house. Try worrying about yourself for once, you silly goose. You'll need someone to take care of you so you won't get sick. You _are_ a lawyer, after all."

Takao smiled warmly. "You don't have to worry about me so much, Yamato. I can take care of myself even when I'm working. You should enjoy your time together with Mashiro, rather than thinking about me."

"Looks like we have a bigger man here," Takamasa noted. "You know how Takao is, Yamato. He's going to beat you to it if you don't do what he says, so you'd better be prepared to take the longer road."

"Then, I guess I can't do much about it," Yamato acknowledged. "I'll just have to walk farther ahead this time. But I'll keep surpassing you, Takao. I won't let you take things over in my place no matter what, you hear me?"

Takao couldn't help but accept the way things were between him and Yamato. "I'm looking forward to it. I actually want to see you become a great man and husband while you continue to go towards the path in front of you, Yamato. As long as you never lose sight of the things around you, I'm sure you'll be able to live a happier life."

"Don't lose your way, Yamato!" Yuta cheered. "Things are just getting started for you and Mashiro, so keep at it!"

Yamato smirked. "You bet I will! I won't stop for the rest of my life and I'll be taking Mashiro with me along the way."

Mashiro smiled positively. "Arigato, Yuta! I'll stay with Yamato for a long time, and I'll make sure to take care of him. You don't have to worry about a thing as long as I'm around, and Yamato doesn't, either."

"Woo!" Yuta instantly raised his fist up at the sky. "Well said, Mashiro! Now I know Yamato will be in good hands. We should celebrate this occasion back at Long Island. It's still morning, so we still have time to hang out for a while."

"Great idea, Yuta," Takao agreed. "I think we'll all need something to freshen up after this. It'll only be for a bit, so I have plenty of time to spare before going to work today."

"Just don't drink too much, okay?" Kunihiko beamed. "I can give you a few drinks, but you're still a lawyer, Takao. If you start to get drunk, you won't be able to make it for the rest of the day."

Takao laughed lightly. "I know. I won't drink today since I'm still a working man."

"Hey!" Takamasa exclaimed. "I work as well, you know! You should give me some credit here while we're at it."

Ren stared at Takamasa intensely. "Then, you should put more work into your career. You don't really do much during the day, Saeki…"

"Now that's not a very nice thing to say, Ren!" the writer commented. "I'll have you know, I can go to work anytime. I just choose not to go to these meetings since they're very stressful at times."

Ren didn't react to Takamasa's words. "…Why don't you right now? It'll save you colleagues some more time if you started working more."

"I agree," Takao nodded. "Working at night isn't always the best method to execute when you're a writer. It's like pulling an all-nighter; you don't get much sleep until you're finished with everything you need to do."

Takamasa's mouth dropped at that very moment. "…" He was quite speechless for a few seconds before returning to reality. "So what you're saying is that you'd rather see me working than spending time with you guys? Is that what this is about?"

"Pretty much," Yuta confirmed. "If you want to be worth more than all that meets the eye, you're going to have to do something great, Saeki. Greater than everything you've done until now, that is."

Takamasa looked down, having a conflicted expression on his face. "I see. So that's it." A grin formed on his face shortly after. "That's what I need to do!"

"Uh, Saeki?" Yamato asked. He did not understand his friend's novel behavior. "Care to explain what's going on?"

Takamasa shook his head. "Sorry, but why don't you go on without me today? Something just came up."

"Huh?" Yamato was now confused. "But you—"

"Just go and celebrate with everyone else," the writer urged. "I really have to do this right now, so don't think too much about it, and just get going already. Time's not on your side, you know."

"…" Yamato wasn't sure what had happened, but he had a strange feeling about Takamasa's sudden change in plans. "Alright," he said, complying to Takamasa's forcefulness. "Just… don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Takamasa smiled. It was a tender one, which Yamato hadn't seen in a while. "I won't. Anyway, I'll take my leave here." He turned around and walked in the direction of his apartment, leaving a dumbfounded group of men staring after him.

"What just happened…?" Yuta asked. Like Takao and Yamato, he seemed fazed by the occurrence.

Takao's mouth was opened. "…I'm not sure myself. But… I know something must have rewired Saeki's mindset."

"It has to do with work, then," Ren murmured. Only the girls and Kunihiko could hear him, though.

Takao titled his head to his left. "What was that, Ren?"

"Nothing…" the blond looked down, trying to avoid answering the inquiry. Then, he looked back up. "Anyway, let's go. I'm hungry."

"Then, I'll prepare something for you when we get there," Sophie decided. "I'm sure everyone's already starving by now, so I'll give Mashiro and Kunihiko-sama a hand in the kitchen."

Mashiro nodded. "Let's prepare a lot of food today. We can also save some for Takamasa-san afterwards. It'll also be a good experience since we'll be dining together."

"There's also more than a table's worth of us," Kunihiko added. "Now that we have Mashiro and Sophie with us, it's become even livelier than before."

"I'll say," Yuta agreed. "It used to be just us guys. But now we have two girls with us. Things are sure changing fast, aren't they?"

Takao smiled. "It's as though our group's expanded."

"Now that I think about it," Yamato brought up, "it feels different than before. It's like a mix of anger, frustration, and exhaustion, but also with a bit of happiness."

Mashiro and the others looked at Yamato in a peculiar manner. But soon, the fawn-haired girl smiled, understanding the meaning of those words.

"Sou ne," she said. "But it feels like there's more to it than just that. Most of us might not notice it, but there's definitely something else besides those feelings you mentioned, Yamato."

Sophie nodded. "That's right. There's something more that we've all felt in the past few days or so. Don't you think so, young man?"

Yamato's eyes widened, prompting him back into his thoughts.

_Mashiro and Sophie are right. It's not just the feelings that I've experienced with everyone that have changed, but something else. There's another emotion—_other_ emotions—besides those that are lingering around. What could they _be_? There has to be some more that I've yet to discover from this, but _what_? I have to find out, or else my curiosity will get the better of me._

A few days later, Yamato was in his classroom. Among his students, there was a commotion as he wrote down some notes on the chalkboard.

"Hey, do you think we should ask him?" one of the females asked inquisitively. Like the rest of them, she was interested to find out something from Yamato.

"If we don't, we'll die!" another answered.

A third one nodded. "Yeah! Now's our chance before we have to go over the stuff for today's lesson. Let's just ask him about her!"

Yamato turned around, hearing giggles and whispers from his students. He was still holding his notebook in his left hand and a long piece of chalk in the other. "What's wrong, girls? Do you have something to say?" As usual, his expression was that of a serious instructor.

One of the girls raised her hand. "Um, Mr. Kougami? We've been talking about this for a while, but…"

"But what?" Yamato inquired, his appearance unaltered.

"Well…" The girl exchanged glances with the others, then looked back at Yamato. "We all wanted to ask… about your wife. What's she like?"

Yamato's eyes widened in surprise. "You all want to know about my wife? What came up so abruptly that you all wanted to ask about her, anyway?"

Another girl spoke up. "You've been our teacher for two and a half weeks now, but you've never said anything about your wife, Mr. Kougami. Plus, you've had a happier look on your face than when you started out, so we thought you might have been smiling because of her. Can you tell us about her?"

_About Mashiro, huh… _Yamato thought. _I didn't think they'd actually want to know about her, but…_

"Alright," Yamato smiled assertively. "I'll tell you about her."

The whole classroom was more than happy to hear their teacher's response and were all excited. The girls were brooming with excitement all over and could not contain their ecstasy.

"Really?!" one of the girls exclaimed.

Yamato nodded. "Yeah. What do you all want to know about her?"

"What's her name?"

And so, the questions began.

"Mashiro," the teacher replied.

"Is she cute?"

Another nod from Yamato. "Of course she is. Her cuteness even lights up the entire room. In fact," he added, "she's a bundle of happiness and cuteness. She becomes happy in an instant, so her cuteness begins to radiate off her like a bunch of shooting stars."

"Really?! Can you bring her here sometime, Mr. Kougami?"

Yamato kept smiling. "Nope. No can do, kiddos."

"What?! Why not?!"

"I can't just bring Mashiro to school," Yamato told his students. "If I took her here without permission, it would disrupt the class and disturb the other students and teachers in the building. The staff wouldn't be pleased to have all you girls making a fuss about my wife anyway. Although, it looks like you already made one today."

One of the students pouted. "Aww!"

A second later, another of the students had an idea pop into her head, but it was still in the form of a question. "Then, is she pregnant with your child right now, Mr. Kougami?"

"What?" That certainly stunned Yamato.

"Oh! That's a good question," another of the students noted. "I was wondering if you were going to be a father soon myself, Mr. Kougami."

One of the students stared at Yamato's expression and had her hand on the side of her face. "Hmm… Was that too early for you, Mr. Kougami? You look like this is new to you."

"Well, yeah," Yamato said, still shocked by the previous enquiry. "I haven't even thought about having kids with Mashiro yet. What made you think of that, anyway?"

The student who had asked that question looked surprised herself. She glanced at Yamato before averting her gaze while blushing. "Ahaha… I just thought that you might have wanted to become a father, Mr. Kougami…" She looked at the surface of her desk, fumbling with her fingers a bit. She smiled shyly as she did so while still blushing a little. "You kind of remind me of my own father sometimes, Mr. Kougami. You also take care of us and praise us with as much support as you can. It actually makes me happy to have you as my teacher when I think about it. Not many teachers outside this school are like that, but you're… a special teacher to us all in one way or another. That's why… I want to support you and your wife no matter what since… I want you to be happy."

The student who had asked if it was too early for Yamato to answer lowered her eyes. "Mr. Kougami, don't tell me you didn't know about how we wanted to support you and your love life? We were all discussing this matter about your wife because we wanted to cheer you two on."

"…I didn't know you all felt that way until now." Yamato stayed frozen in place as if he was a statue. "In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard about this from anyone."

The student sighed. "…Come on, Mr. Kougami. Try to catch up on us. We're always ready to help you out for your sake. You _are_ our teacher, after all."

Yamato looked at the student and smiled in defeat. "Hai, hai. We'll talk about this later, alright? We've already wasted enough time. Now, get out your textbooks and turn to page thirty-one."

"Hai~!" Yamato's students obeyed, taking out their textbooks from their desks as the got ready to learn the day's physics lesson.

It was late at night in Ren and Sophie's apartment. Sophie was currently working on the third volume of her new series, and was writing and drawing at a rapid pace. She was too focused to concentrate on anything else as though her life depended on the completion of the manga. In fact, it was much more than motivation that kept her going, but at the same time, it was something that was most likely to keep her focused on her job. The look on her face was slightly twisted up with some kind of anger as she kept working.

"…" She was about to finished when Ren stepped into the room.

He looked at her busy figure and said, "Working again?"

Although it was short, Sophie gave a quick nod. "Yeah. If I don't keep working on my manga, I'll lose my concentration. If I don't keep at it, I'll eventually stop working on anything at all." She hurriedly drew the last few pages, staring deeply at her pages while keeping up her part of the conversation. "But at least I'm almost finished, so I can prepare something for you before you head off to work. I _am_ your fiancée, after all."

"Don't push yourself too much," Ren reminded the turquoise-haired girl. "You'll get sick if you work all the time without taking any breaks."

Sophie turned to look at Ren and smiled. "I know. I'll keep my health in check after this, so don't worry." She glanced back at her desk and kept working until she came to a stop. "Finished." She organized the abundant number of pages she had drawn and wrote, and put them in a envelope, sealing it securely before getting up from her seat. She took a look at Ren with the same smile she had on her face. "I'll get ready and start making your food for tonight. What do you want to eat, Ren?"

Ren stared back at Sophie with a nonchalant expression. "Tamagoyaki and kaarage."

Sophie frowned. "It's all fried dishes. Don't forget your vegetables. You have to watch out for those kinds of foods every now and then, or else you won't be able to balance your meals. I'll add some spinach and octopus wieners along with them, so make sure you eat everything if you can, Ren. You should also try some sandwiches and a small portion of rice. Maybe eel would be good along with some tonkatsu…"

Several minutes had passed by and it was dark inside the apartment. Sophie was sleeping soundly at the desk she used to work on her books and manga, and Sophie soon awakened. She opened her eyes slowly, still laying her head and arms on her desk.

"…" She stared in the direction she could see and soon noticed the living room and kitchen's lights were turned off. "Ren…?" She lifted her head up and saw a blanket around her body. She stared at it intently and knew that Ren had placed it around her after she fell asleep. Then, she took a look around her surroundings. "He's not here. I guess he must've gone off to work, then." She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 2:17 a.m. After that, she stood up and walked to the glass table near the couch. That was when she saw a note addressed to her and picked it up.

The letter read…

Sophie. Thanks for the bento you made tonight. I made sure to take it with me before I leave. Also, I may or may not be back before five a.m., so don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I promise. I'll make sure to come home as soon as I can, so we can eat breakfast together in the morning. If you happen to wake up before I come home, go to bed and sleep for a few hours. You've been sleeping past midnight for some time now. It's lonely when we're not sleeping together.

—Ren

Sophie gazed at the last few sentences. Her shoulders dropped as she kept looking at it.

"Ren…"

She glanced toward the door before shifting her gaze back to the note. Then, she smiled sadly. "I understand. I'll go to sleep right away."

The next day, Takamasa was in his apartment that morning in his study, typing on his laptop. Shortly afterward, he paused and came to a stop.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as an idea suddenly came to his mind. "It's almost time for me to eat breakfast."

He checked his watch and it was already nine in the morning. Then, he stood up, pushed in his chair, opened the door, and walked out. Within less than a minute, he was in the kitchen. He poured a cup of black coffee for himself and lifted the cup up to his lips, taking a drink from it.

He pulled the cup away and thought about something. "Hmm… I better start a clean-up check today."

Although his apartment had been tidied up the same night of Mashiro and Yamato's wedding, he felt as if there was something else that needed to be cleaned up in the living room. Ever since that day, things had been different from how they were before.

And it was not until a few days afterward that Yamato visited Long Island.

Yamato walked around and greeted the bar owner. "Hey, Kuni! How's it going?"

Kunihiko smiled at the sight of the newlywed from before. "Morning, Yamato. I was just about to open the bar. Did you need something?"

"Nn…" Yamato looked around the interior of Long Island, looking for something. Or rather, someone in particular. "Actually, I'm looking for Saeki. Have you seen him lately?"

Kunihiko had a surprised look on his face. "Saeki? He hasn't been here in a while." Then, he smiled calmly. "I'm sure he's fine, though, Yamato. He's probably working at home or at an interview. Why don't you give him a call and ask him yourself if you're that worried about him?"

"What?" Yamato asked. "He hasn't been here? How long has he been busy, anyway?"

Kunihiko kept smiling. "The last time he was here was the day before the wedding. It was just the guys, remember? The girls were out together that day. But I haven't seen him since then, that's for certain."

"Hmm…" Yamato contemplated. Then, he looked at Kunihiko and said, "Sorry, Kuni. I'm going to check up on him."

The purple-haired man let out a huff. "When you get there, don't pry too much," he advised.

Yamato nodded. "Got it."

Soon, he arrived in front of Takamasa's apartment and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing the healthy form of the famous writer.

"Yamato," Takamasa breathed. "What brings you here today?"

Yamato had a serious look on his face. "What's going on, Saeki?" He had his arms folded against his chest as he stared at his friend. "You haven't been at Long Island at all and you've been working without even paying a visit. Why is that?"

"?" Takamasa blinked. Then, he realized what the young man in front of him meant. "Oh. That." He smiled lightly at Yamato and answered him. "I decided to change how I did things and started working more. I also went out for meetings and interviews about the TV shows I was currently working on." He added, "I even cleaned up my place after the wedding."

"You did what?!" Yamato shouted, flabbergasted by what he had just heard. "Saeki… Why are you doing this all of sudden? I mean, you haven't cleaned up since you graduated from high school. What's with the quick change?"

Takamasa's eyes widened as he saw the concern on Yamato face. "Ah, that was six years ago, wasn't it? Anyway, why don't you come in? I'll explain about why I'm doing all this."

"I see…" Yamato trailed off as he sat on the couch next to Takamasa. "So it's because you felt like you needed to change yourself after we said all those things to you. Sorry about that. It's not like we would do that to deliberately hurt your feelings or anything."

Takamasa let out a moderate laugh. "Ahaha." He looked down, still smiling. "It's not like you said anything until after I decided to go home for the day, Yamato. Besides, it's not like my feelings were hurt at all, except by what Ren said a little. You know how he is, always blunt with other people." He looked directly at the auburn-haired man. "But I'm not _that_ affected by anything the others guys said that day. In fact, there's another reason why I've been doing this for a while now."

"Another… reason…?" Yamato asked, a bit perplexed by those words.

The writer nodded. "That's right. There's another reason why I'm doing. The day you and Mashiro got married, I immediately started to clean up my entire apartment after I went home. A thought instantly crossed my mind, and I suddenly remembered something."

"What did you remember?" Yamato inquired curiously. He wanted to know what his friend had been thinking about this whole time. "Was it something… important?"

Another nod from Takamasa. "Yeah. I haven't told anyone about this yet, but… There's someone who's going to move in with me soon and I actually wanted to make sure everything was cleaned up before she came here. She'll be living with me at the end of the month, so I'm preparing ahead of time."

"Someone's going to live with you?!" Yamato blurted out. "And your roommate's a girl?! Why didn't you say so sooner? The guys and I could have helped you earlier if we had known about this."

There was a long silence between the two. That was, until Takamasa spoke up again.

"Actually," he said, "I had mixed feelings about it three months back when I first heard from her parents." A troubled expression formed on the writer's face as he continued. "Remember Airi?"

Yamato spoke steadily as he thought about the name. "Airi…" His eyes widened when he remembered that name. "Airi Hirabayashi?! Your high school girlfriend Airi?! The one who's…"

Takamasa nodded, confirming Yamato's question. "Yeah… She's going to be here in a few weeks, but…"

"It's been over two years since you last saw each other. Right?" Yamato mentioned. "Things fell out of place after you found out that she was going to be busier because of her occupation. You even went into a deep depression for a while, too."

"Yeah, but…" Takamasa stared at the wall in front of him and Yamato. "I haven't forgotten about her, not even once. That's why…" A faint smile crept onto his face as he proclaimed his new resolve. "…I'm going to start over and continue from where we left off years ago when she comes here. I've decided that I'm not going to run away from this anymore than I've already done."

Yamato looked at Saeki, understanding the writer's resolution. "Saeki…"

And so, the end of April was finally here. It was the day Takamasa's high school girlfriend would come to move in with him. His entire apartment was fully cleaned and Takamasa was one hundred percent ready for Airi's arrival. Ten minutes had passed and the doorbell rang.

Takamasa walked toward the front door and opened it. He was instantaneously greeted by the girl standing in front of him. She had light purple waist-length hair and bright green eyes. Without another moment to waste, she bowed politely.

"Hajimemashite," she smiled with her eyes closed, tilting her head to the side. "My name is Airi Hirabayashi, and I've come here to live with you starting today, Takamasa Saeki-san."


	5. Episode 5

What's Led Us to Where We Are Today

"Yamato," Mashiro said with a stern expression, "I want to know… about your family." As she look at Yamato, Mashiro had an intense stare, which soon transformed itself into yet another sad expression from the fawn-haired girl. Her eyes lowered and she looked down. "There's just so much I don't know about you, and it's been bothering me this whole time we've been married. I was wondering whether or not I was really suited to be your wife since we haven't talked to each other about our families very much. That's why…I want to get to know you better, for both our sakes."

Yamato's eyes widened when he finally understood the situation. His expression relaxed and his arms came down to his sides. "Mashiro…" He looked down with his own sorrowful expression dawning his face. "I never knew… that you felt that way. I'm sorry for not noticing sooner. Please forgive me."

_I didn't see any signed of concern for me, not even once, _he thought. _Perhaps it was because I never check on her this whole time, or even turned around in the mornings when I left for work. I always saw a smile on her face as she waved at me. Damn it all… It was all my fault for not being a good husband to her even though I promised on the day of our wedding._

He sighed, continuing his thoughts.

_Man… I still don't know why I even said those words, but I knew I was pretty happy to at least say something like that for someone else's sake, and it turned out to be for Mashiro. But should I have told everyone that day that I would be giving her a false sense of joy? And what did Kuni meant by wanting to give me _true happiness_, anyway? I still don't get it. Is there a purpose for this, or what? What is it that he's trying so hard to do for me? Well, not that he's actually trying that much since he's a lazy bum, but still. He could have to me more about his intentions. If he had done that, I wouldn't have been dragged into this mess in the first place. I do have to admit that it was mainly because of me that he pitched in, though._

Another sigh.

_I guess it's up to me now to get myself, along with Mashiro, out of this fake marriage. But before I can do _that_, I have to be honest with her._

After finishing his inner point of view, Yamato glanced up and stared strongly into Mashiro's eyes. "Alright," he said, "I'll tell you. About my family. You see, I was raised by my mother for most of my life. But when I was eighteen, she passed away. That was about five years ago. At that point, I had already graduated from high school with Yuta. You and the girls were probably about to start your last year of high school by then. At any rate, I was preparing to go to college within a few months, but… It was during the summer three days before my birthday."

_July 17, 1999_

_ An eighteen-year-old Yamato Kougami was on his way towards the college he was going to go to during the fall semester of that year. He had always dreamt of becoming a physics teacher for quite some time now, and he was proud of the occupation he had chosen before his graduation with his friend, Yuta._

_ Within a few minutes, he stopped and gazed at the large building that was several meters away from where he was standing. His mouth opened and his eyes widened in astounding awe and amazement at the sight. He could not wait until he could finally take his designated classes there in a few months._

_ "Man," Yamato breathed, "I can't believe I'm almost in college… It'll be a long ride, but I'll be able to work my way towards being a physics teacher in just five years. I bet Mom will be happy when she hears this. I better go tell her about it today."_

_ He walked forward, crossing the street once the light turned green, and went around the corner. As he made his way towards the hospital his mother was staying in, he felt as if someone had blessed him with the chance he had. It seemed too good to be true since he had been living a great life; he even went to school with his friends and was into baseball while also focusing on his studies every year. He and his friends had also met a rare member in their group, and their new companion was a girl who was on her way with Ren to their third and last year of high school. However, she had transferred after the past school year had ended._

Too bad Airi won't be able to keep Ren any company this year, _Yamato thought. _He doesn't have many friends outside our group, and neither does Airi, but the get along pretty well. It's kind of refreshing to see them understand each other, actually. I hope she's having fun at her new school after the next trimester starts. She might make a new friend or rival there, but I'll have to ask her about it later on. Plus, it's for Saeki's sake since he's been working late at night on his scripts. It's a bit of a pain to keep checking up on him, but he's also hopeless when it comes to love. If he keeps thinking about her all the time, he won't be able to get out of his depression. Honestly, that guy… He's too lovestruck to think about himself nowadays.

_Then, Yamato smirked to himself._

Ah, well. It kind of helps get me going since he gives me a job to clean up his place. It's not s bad when I think about it. I hate to admit it, but I feel bad for him. If anyone could get him back outside for any pastime activities, it'd be Kuni, Takao, and Airi. Maybe Yuta, too. I just don't get how he finds Yuta's jokes funny. He rids them of any sense of humor, so it's like having Ren's deadpan expression all over the place.

_He looked directly in front of him and walk almost at the entrance of the hospital. Then, a smile crept onto his face. "Well, looks like I'll at least be able to say hi to Mom before she has to have the nurses take care of her."_

_ Soon, he was inside the building. He walked to his mother's hospital room, knock and opened the door._

_ "Excuse me for the intrusion," he pardoned himself as he walked in and closed the door._

_ A woman who was looking out the window turned towards the auburn-haired high school graduate's direction and smiled at him._

_ "Ah, Yamato," she kept smiling as she greeted her son. "I'm glad you're here. Why don't you have a seat next to me? We can talk as much as you want until it's time for you to go." She had weary eyes and a tired expression spread across her face. Her breathing seemed slower than usual and she closed her eyes for a bit._

_ Yamato's eyes widened and he quickly ran towards his mother's side. He had a firm grip on the bouquet of roses in his right hand._

_ "Mom!" he shouted. Within a few seconds, he was already by the woman's side. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"_

_ Yamato mother shook her head with the same smile she had not too long ago. She smiled right away as she lifted her head gradually to look at Yamato's face. "No. I'm just a little exhausted, that's all. You don't have to worry about me, Yamato. I'll be okay."_

_ "But…" Yamato hesitated with a worried look on his face._

_ His mother kept smiling as she gazed at the auburn-haired young adult in front of her. "I'll be fine." She put her hands on Yamato's and gently took hold of them, bringing them away from her shoulders. "You should think more about yourself, my dear son. Just look at you. Your face is so full of panic that I'm not sure I'll be able to rest properly and recover in time to see you go off to college. Where's the happy grin you always showed me? I'd rather see that than having you get so concerned about my sake." She let go of Yamato's hands and rested her head on the pillow on the bed. "You're my son, remember? You're stronger than you think you are, so I always want to see you smiling. I don't want to be sad, Yamato. I only want you to be happy. That's my wish."_

_ "Mom…" Yamato understood his mother's feelings. He had always known that she didn't want to trouble him, but it only made him care about her even more. After all, they were family. She was all he had left in the world they lived in, and other than that, only his friends were his remaining support to keep him living. He nodded sadly and sat down in the chair next to the hospital bed. "I know." He brought himself to smile and held out the bouquet. "I got these for you. They're your favorite, so I wanted to give them to you before going home today."_

_ Yamato's mother smiled once more as she looked at the bunch of roses. "My, they're very lovely, Yamato. If only I could hold them… My arms and legs have been getting weaker lately, so I don't think I have enough strength to take them from you. It's almost time for me to rest, anyway. I'm sorry."_

_ This time, Yamato shook his head. "No, you don't have to apologize for anything, Mom. I just wanted to give you something since I won't have much time to visit you after I go off to college. Oh, yeah," he added as he smiled warmheartedly at his mother. "I saw it on my way here. You know, the college I picked for my first choice. I can't wait to get in. I'll study a lot and become a great teacher in the future. You can count on that."_

_ "So, my little boy has finally grown up and decided to go off to college," his mother responded in a relaxed tone of voice. She closed her eyes, revealing an eye smile. "I'm glad. You've been wanting to apply to Jouin College _(定因大学 _Jouin _Daigaku) for_ a while now. It's a good thing you were accepted short afterwards. I'm proud to see you head towards your dream, and I hope I won't ever forget this happiness for the remainder of my life. I love you, Yamato."_

_ Yamato could sense a foreboding feeling welling within him. It was as if something was going to happen right before his eyes, and he did not like what he had felt. He blinked, retreating into his thoughts._

What _is_ this? Even though Mom's congratulating me, I don't even feel as happy as I _should_ be. What in the world is going on? Don't tell me that she's going to…

_Yamato's mother saw the troubled expression on her son's face and said, "Yamato? What's wrong? You don't look well. Is something the matter?"_

_ "Mom," Yamato called out to his mother while looking down. "Are you… going to…" He trailed off, knowing what was going to happen._

So, this is it, huh? _He thought. _It's about time to say goodbye and soon… I won't be able to see her again.

_Yamato's mother smiled tenderly at him. "I'm sorry, Yamato. It looks like I couldn't hide it from you, after all." Her breathing slowed a bit more as she closed her eyes. Then, she opened them and looked at Yamato once more before saying farewell to him. "But… If there was anything I could have done to prevent your sorrow, there is one thing I must say before I go to the netherworld. I should have told you about your father a long time ago. It was because of me that you didn't get to grow up with him by your side. However…" Her eyes lowered as she thought back to the memories she had with Yamato's father and smiled at the remembrance. "He was a good man I didn't think I would fall in love with. I don't regret meeting him because… If he hadn't been a part of my life, I would have never had you. You were the gift he gave me before I… Well." She sighed, staring at the ceiling. "That's all I can really say about him. Please try to understand. I was the one at fault back then, not your father. He really was a good man to this day, and I'll never think badly of him." She glanced at Yamato and continued. "Thank you… for being born my son, Yamato. I'll always love you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that you will find that special someone one day to share your happiness, sorrow, and emotions with. I'd like you to get married and have children one day so that you can forget about me and live out your life without regrets. Can you promise me that you'll find your own happiness…?"_

_ Tears formed in Yamato eyes and he nodded, closing his them. "Yeah…! I promise! I'll always love you, too, Mom… So…" He opened his eyes and faced his mother with a smile forming on his face. "I'll keep smiling and be happy, for your sake." His voice was breaking, but he still tried his best to put on a happy face as tears kept rolling down his cheeks. "Thank you… for everything you've done for me up until now… Thank you… Mom…" After that, he couldn't help but burst into tears, crying in front of his mother._

_ She smiled back and tears also formed in her eyes, dripping down her face like a waterfall. Shortly afterwards, she closed her eyes, and the heart rate monitor on the other side of the hospital bed stopped. Yamato's eyes widened before he broke into more tears. Within a few seconds, he had called for help from the nurses and told them of his mother's passing._

Back to the present, Yamato finished the rest of his family background.

"I never knew who my father was," he continued. "My mother always told me that he was a good person and that he had died when I was a kid. However, I soon found out on the day of her funeral that it wasn't true. The morning after she died, my grandmother told me that my father wasn't dead, and that he was still alive. She had visited him from time to time, along with my grandfather to check on him. Whenever he asked them to let him see my mother, they would refuse and tell him to give up on her. They stopped going after she died, and I would come see them from time to time. To be more precise, he was the reason why I decided to apply for a job at the school I currently work at. He still is, though, of course, and I'm positive that he's forgotten about my mom."

Mashiro frowned. "But… Are you sure of that? Maybe he hasn't actually forgotten about your mother as you suspect. It's too early to assume something like that without knowing what he's buried down in his heart."

Yamato shook his head. "No, I have a strong feeling that he probably didn't care about my mom, and that he tossed her away when she was pregnant with me. I've tried many times to get closer to him, but it seems like he's put up an overfriendly and caring image. He's the principal of my school, Mashiro."

"Eh?" Mashiro blinked. "Your father's the principal of the school you work at? But I…"

"Anyway, what about you?" Yamato asked, turning away from the matter. "What's your family like?"

Mashiro looked down like before, but decided to reveal her familial background to her husband as she had wished to get to know one another better.

"What I'm about to tell you is something that's similar to yours," she began. "To be honest with you, Yamato…" She looked up and gazed into the auburn-haired man's eyes. "I don't have any parents."

Yamato's eyes widened when he heard that. "What?" He certainly did not expect to find out about Mashiro that way, but he knew it was true.

However, Mashiro only nodded firmly, matching her expression. "My parents died when I was thirteen in a car accident, so it's been over ten years since they passed away. I was also left to fend for myself and take care of my younger sister back then. She was only eight, and we were orphans. But… One day, Kun Kun walked up to us and took my sister and I in his care. He took us to his home in Shinjuku and provided a home, along with daily meals, for us. At first, I didn't trust him when he tried to be nice at his house. But soon, I quickly accepted his kindness and opened up to him the day he crossed our paths." She smiled fondly, thinking back to that time. "It was a winter day, but when he told us it would be okay, it felt as though all the ice had melted, and it became warmer." She looked up and kept smiling, but it was more casual this time. "I ended up getting scholarships, and eventually enrolled in Seishin Academy. If it wasn't for Kun Kun, I wouldn't have made it to where I was. There's just one thing that I keep thinking about, though."

"What is it?" Yamato inquired attentively. He felt a sense of nostalgia within him when Mashiro had mentioned his baseball coach and was able to relate to Mashiro somehow.

Mashiro frowned once more, having a distant expression. "I can't remember anything about my parents or sister besides that incident. My parents' face and names don't even appear to me whenever I try to remember them. And my sister… I can only remember the day we met Kun Kun. After that, however, I can't even remember anything else about her. I was diagnosed with amnesia before the end of my third year at Seishin Academy. I know something happened to cause it but I don't remember the event. Sophie, Airi, and Lia probably remember what happened, but I didn't ask them about it because I wanted to move on from that time. Kun Kun also knows, but…"

"He's probably keeping it from you for your sake," Yamato figured. He was still as grim as ever. "And I'm sure the others are doing the same thing because they care about you, Mashiro. You trust them, right? I'm sure they mean a lot to you, too, so you're both helping each other one way or another. Your bonds are stronger than a person who doesn't know that would understand. Everything'll be okay as long as you have each other. The same goes for me and the guys. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to move on from my mom's death." He grinned and added the rest. "They've always been there for me, so don't worry about it and keep smiling. I like you the way you are, and I wouldn't have married you if I didn't. You're my wife, you know? I promised to support you, and vice versa. So, I'm here for you. We're family, after all. That's what marriage is about, right? Supporting your family."

Mashiro nodded and smiled softly. "Arigato, Yamato. I'll continue to support you, as well. I'm your wife, so I'll help anyway I can."

"Yeah," Yamato answered. He felt better after talking with Mashiro and a warm yet clear sensation filled his heart as he saw his wife's smile.

_I wonder if this is what caring for your spouse feels like, _he thought. _Whenever I see Mashiro, I become happier knowing that she's here with me. But. Could it be more than just caring about your one and only family that makes me so… loving? I've never felt this around anyone before, so what exactly _is_ it? I don't know how to describe it, but it's like a waltz that never ends, or a seasonal change of some sort. Either, it's like a rechargeable battery that doesn't die out for some reason._

Inside the bathroom, Yamato sat inside the bathtub, which was filled with warm water that wasn't too hot. He thought to himself as he soaked in the water.

_Mashiro's parents are deceased and her sister's nowhere to be found. At least, that's what she can remember, anyway. She doesn't even know if she's still alive, and it's like the only person who knows is Kuni. Sophie and Airi might also know where she is, but I'm not sure if they can provide enough information to get them to reunite with each other. So, I guess the only choice I really have is to ask Kuni. I'll do that tomorrow morning before noon. For now, all I can really do is find out more about Mashiro's past before she suspects anything._

While Yamato was still thinking to himself, Mashiro was laying on the bed on her right side. She stared off into space before closing her eyes and falling asleep shortly after.

—**The following day—**

Yamato opened the door on the right entrance of Long Island and stepped inside.

"Kuni?" he called out. "You here?" He scanned around the area, searching for the bar owner.

As anticipated, Kunihiko came out from the kitchen with his usual expression. "Yamato, what can I help you with today? You're pretty early, and I mean earlier from last time when you came to check on Saeki."

"There's something I need to ask," the auburn-haired man told the IT company CEO. "It's about Mashiro."

Kunihiko tilted his head to the side. "About Mashiro? Why don't you ask her yourself? She _is_ your wife, isn't she? There's really no need to come to me about her, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Yamato replied. "There's just something that been bothering me since yesterday. We talked about each other's family, and I told her about my mother and my father. I heard her side, as well, and I thought about what she's had for a while now."

"What Mashiro's had for a while?" Kunihiko asked. "Care to elaborate on it while we're here? I can't help you if I don't know what you really want, Yamato."

A staid expression crossed Yamato's face as he stared at Kunihiko. "I want to know… about Mashiro's amnesia. She said that she was diagnosed with it years ago around her senior year at Seishin Academy, but she doesn't remember what caused her to lose her memories. She doesn't remember much about her family, either, so I thought you might be able to explain more about it since you and the girls know something about it."

Kunihiko sighed and frowned. "So she's told you about her family, huh?" A conflicted expression replaced the perplexed one he had a few seconds before. "Well… I'm sure she's already mentioned about the time she met me, but anyway." He started explaining about the next matter. "When Mashiro and the girls were at Seishin, there was a large battle in which all of the third-years had to protect the school from a criminal organization that was planning to attack a factory in the area. All of them had a special weapon or more to go along with their abilities and since Seishin was a school that was built for the sake of helping others around Japan, this came in handy against any adversaries that threatened society. The seniors immediately tracked down the factory and went there to disable the detonators that were implanted all inside the building."

_Four years ago, on the night of March 1, 2000_

_ Airi nodded, a stern expression on her face. "Shiro, we'll go and take out the ones we find first. You and Sophie go ahead and take out the rest."_

_ "Right," Mashiro nodded back. She had a red uniform on with a blazer over a white, long sleeve button-down shirt and a red flared skirt that was about the length of a miniskirt/school uniform one. She also wore white thigh-high stockings and brown knee-high lace-up boots and carried two thin long swords, one in each of her hands. "Let's hurry. We don't have much time left to disable and destroy them."_

_ Another girl nodded, on with short green hair and brown eyes, carrying a large tambourine that didn't have a drumhead in her left hand. Her right hand was empty, and she smirked. "Don't you worry, Mashiro. We're the most powerful students in our school and we have a duty to protect the world from danger. It'll be a giant piece of cake."_

_ Mashiro frowned. "Yes. But don't forget that this is the last mission we'll have before graduation, which is in less than two more weeks from now. Our school may be one that finishes the school year a bit earlier than other schools, but we still have to go through with this and protect the other students and citizens in Japan who aren't involved with Rose Blade."_

_ She ran ahead at a rapid speed, and the other two follow after her to back her up._

_ Airi sighed. "Well, that's basically how it is. We _are_ an elite combat school, after all. Immense training to become the strongest fighters against evil. It may _sound_ cliché, but we really are doing what the slogan says."_

_ The green-haired girl narrowed her eyes in irritation. "Get to work, Airi. We've got to hurry on this. Who knows what'll happen if we don't do our job properly."_

_ "It's not like I'm trying to stall for time, Lia," the light purple-haired girl argued. "Anyway, you know it's the truth. Plus, we're already running _towards_ the factory at this moment! Aren't we carrying out our mission already?!"_

_ A cruciform appeared on Lia's forehead, and she shouted, "We're only going there on foot right now! We haven't come across the path of a detonator yet, you idiot! Someone needs to knock some sense into your head every once in a while, so just focus on finding them and deactivating as much as you can." Her composure returned to normal and she added, "Besides, this might be the last thing we ever try to do if they blow up by the time we get there."_

_ Airi sighed. "I know. It's not like I'm happy about it, either. This could be the end for us and all of Shinjuku if we can follow the principal's orders."_

_ They hurried and within less than a minute, they were already at the entrance of the building. Lia and Airi glanced at each other quickly and nodded before heading inside. They soon found detonators all around themselves, and prepared their weapons, splitting up to different parts of the factory; Airi pulled out a long silver pole that extended itself from both ends, hitting the detonators on her side, while Lia beat her tambourine in the air, creating a musical flow that swiftly malfunctioned the ones in the entire area. It soon spread over to where Airi was, and disabled the rest. Shortly afterward, Sophie came in with a large hammer, running past them to where Mashiro was. The light purple and green-haired girls' eyes widened and they understood what it meant._

Shiro! _Airi thought._

Mashiro! _Lia's shouted inside her mind at the same time._

_After realizing that Mashiro was in danger, Lia used her tambourine and began ringing it several times as she and Airi ran to find Sophie and Mashiro. The light purple-haired girl's pole extended left and right, breaking the detonators it smashed as they continued to make their way through._

_ At that time, Mashiro and Sophie were in the last room all the way to the end of the building. There was only one detonator left to inactivate. As Mashiro took a few steps ahead, Sophie stopped._

_ "Wait, Mashiro," the turquoise-haired girl said. "It could be a trap. This one might have more than enough power to create an enormous explosion here than the others. Who knows what will happen if we decide to deactivate it now."_

_ Mashiro frowned, and a very severe expression was on her face. "But if we don't do anything, we will endanger the lives of everyone else in the city. We can't just let Rose Blade have their way with the people here, Sophie."_

_ "I know," Sophie sighed, "but we can't be reckless about it. Usually, the last part of every mission we've had was to check to see if something was wrong with the way it was set up. We aren't really doing that right now."_

_ Mashiro glanced at her best friend before smiling to reassure her. "Don't worry. Things will all be fine once we're done here."_

_ Sophie stared at the fawn-haired girl for a moment, and knew there was nothing she could do to stop her best friend from completing the mission they were assigned. "Mashiro…" She glanced at the floor and nodded with a trusting smile when she looked back at Mashiro. "Un. I know you'll be okay, so I'll leave it to you."_

_ Mashiro closed her eyes and smiled back. "Thanks, Sophie. It'll be over soon, so we can have fun afterwards. I promise."_

_ She turned her attention at the detonator and took a step forward. Then, she held both of her swords out, and crossed them together, piercing the machine. It let out a small spark of static, seemingly having been disabled. Mashiro pulled out her swords and turned around. Just as she and Sophie were about to leave the room, something they did not expect to happen shocked the both of them. They quickly turned towards the direction of the detonator. What they saw in front of them was static it was shaking and smoke came out from it. It rocked back and forth rigorously; the girls' eyes widened. Sophie had a horrifying premonition from it and rapidly glanced in Mashiro's direction._

_ "Mashiro!" she shouted._

_ Right after she called out the fawn-haired girl's name, the detonator exploded, blowing away the objects in the room, burning them without any warning. After it ended, there were bits and pieces of machinery, boxes, and some other things that were sprawled out on the floor._

_ Sophie was coughing, covering her mouth her right hand for a couple moments. She opened her eyes and continued to cough a little more as she scanned the area around her. Within a few seconds, she saw Mashiro's unconscious form laying on the floor where she (Mashiro) had been standing not too long ago. Sophie's eyes widened and she rushed over to her best's friend's side._

_ "Mashiro!" Sophie was frantically checking the fawn-haired girl's tattered body as she held Mashiro's body close to her. She soon calmed down, checking the side of Mashiro's neck with her index and middle fingers. Then, she felt a pulse and sighed, relieved that Mashiro was still alive. Although there was dust and tiny, broken grains of gravel on the fawn-haired girl's uniform, hair, and whatnot, all that mattered was that Mashiro was safe and sound._

_ Soon enough, Airi and Lia came in and found the two who had gone ahead of them. They could hardly believe what they saw. Airi's body dropped down and she was on her knees. Lia understood what had happened from the sight and her shoulders slumped. Everything that happened that night was reported to the Shinjuku police and staff of Seishin Academy within a phone call from Lia's cell phone. The event was explained to the authorities, and the third-year students were thanked and apologized to for their hard work. It soon became known as the Abandoned Factory Incident, and journalists and news reporters had gotten hold of what had happened. Although not fatally injured, a few of the students who were recovering in the nearby hospital had external wounds or memory problems. They were still fine, however, due to Seishin Academy's illustrious feat of training the students enrolled there to withstand such casualties. Without the bravery of the students who travels all the way to the factory and risked their lives to immobilize the detonators that were inside, Shinjuku would not have had a single survivor. It was thanks to those who participated in doing something for the sake of others that Shinjuku, and its people, still exist today._

"Along with some other students who were involved in disabling the detonators," Kunihiko continued, "Mashiro was one of the victims to have had any signs of memory loss. There were also others who had some wounds and injuries, but no one was killed thanks to them. It's an incredible story that made Seishin Academy even more famous than it was many years ago when it was first built. If Mashiro hadn't been the one to draw her swords, the timer would have went off and blew all of Shinjuku away. Sophie and the girls still regret not having been able to protect her from getting hit by it sooner. It took less than a second to explode right in front of them and hit Mashiro. As for her memories and family, she hasn't been able to remember anything besides the day I encountered her and her younger sister."

Yamato listened on for any more details. "So, what happened to Mashiro's sister? There has to be something that she must want to tell Mashiro. I'm sure she would want to see her again, too. The two of them are family, after all."

"You're right," Kunihiko answered. He smiled moderately as ever before and explained further. "But she can't for Mashiro's sake."

The auburn-haired man blinked. "Huh? Why is that?"

Kunihiko let out a sad sigh and looked down. "Even if they were to meet face-to-face, Mashiro wouldn't be able to remember her. I'm sure by now that her memory of that day has faded away completely. Ever since that incident, Mashiro's forgotten about those who were related to her, and the doctor who were in charge of the injured students said that those with memory problems would eventually forget everything about what their own family members looks like, and even their personalities. There has been nothing we could do to prevent that, but Mashiro knows that something is missing from deep within her mind. She wants to remember, but she can't even though she's tried to."

"You mean…" Yamato trailed off, having another bad feeling about what he was told. "…Mashiro might never be able to remember who her sister and parents are…? Not even once…?"

Kunihiko nodded gravely. The answer was just as clear as the strong look in his eyes when he gazed at Yamato's stunned state. "Unfortunately, yes." He then smiled, as if to say that it was alright. "However, I can tell you this: Mashiro's sister is safe and living well at the Kanzaki residence which is located in a hidden village not known to many outside the countryside. I can tell you the address, but maybe it would be better if you and Ren looked more into Sophie's family. But even so, it would be tougher to gain access to their home. Sophie's grandmother rules over the village and is a very notorious figure. How about you wait for a little while before you decide to head off to where her family lives? And when you do, make sure to get Ren to come along with you. He's her fiancé, and they might not let you into their household without someone who has a connection to her."

Yamato nodded and had a solemn expression on his face as he understood the meaning of the CEO's words. "Alright. Don't worry about it. I won't be hasty and go there right away. Besides," he added, "it isn't time for something like that yet, so I'll just head home after getting some stuff from the supermarket. Thanks, anyway, Kuni. I'll see you later."

"Have a good trip back home, Yamato," Kunihiko replied. He gave a small wave with his left hand and bid the younger man a few more parting words. "Don't forget to check up on Mashiro. Also, you might want to stop by Saeki's to get him some stuff. Airi's helping him out with his next script, and they've been working on it together after breakfast. Just bring them some groceries so they won't forget about having lunch later on."

"Got it," Yamato grinned.

After that, he turned around, headed out, and walked to the supermarket for the things he needed to purchase, and started his grocery spree. He was going to have a great time there since it was like a haven for him and he could not help but keep his smile on his face when he arrived in front of the store. 

Inside Takamasa and Airi's apartment, the lovebirds were sitting at a table near the living room furniture, and were happily enjoying planning out the current script for Takamasa's current work. With the scriptwriter's laptop in front of them, the continued to add to the numerous amount of pages.

"Ah, it's almost finished!" Airi exclaimed with a bright smile. She was wearing glasses as she commented on the next lot of pages. "This goes by faster when we're both working together, doesn't it?"

Takamasa nodded with fulfillment at the nearly finished script. Then, he turned to his right and looked at Airi with a gratified smile. "It's all thanks to you, my dear. If you hadn't asked to help me with it, none of this could have been done so early. And we're just in time for…" He leaned in closer for a kiss, closing his eyes as his lips were about to reach Airi's.

The light purple-haired girl did the same and slowly leaned forward with her eyes closed. Just as their lips were about to touch one another's, the doorbell rang. The both opened their eyes instantaneously at the same time and quickly pulled back. Takamasa grimaced with irritation, while Airi averted her gaze towards her right, flustered by what had just happened.

Takamasa sighed and got up from his seat. "I'll get it." He walked to the door and opened it. The next thing he knew, Yamato was right in front of him with filled grocery bags in both or his hands. "Yamato? What are you doing here?" he asked, puzzled by the appearance of the married man.

"I came here to give you guys some stuff," the auburn-haired man replied. "Kuni told me you and Airi were working on your next script for the current drama that's been airing for two weeks now. Since the series is nearing its third week, I bought some stuff for you guys in case you forget to eat lunch together later on. You're almost done, right? Go ahead and take these." He held out two of the bags in his right hand, which were soon in front of the scriptwriter's face.

Takamasa frowned with narrowed eyes, but took the plastic bags, anyway. "Thanks for the concern, but you were interrupting something important here. By the way," he considered, "how did you know we were almost done with it? Every room here is soundproofed, so there's no way you could have heard anything outside the walls."

"What?" Yamato asked with baffled eyes. "I just had a feeling you'd be finished with it soon. Two heads are better than one, you know."

Takamasa smirked. "As expected of a high school teacher. You haven't changed one bit since you went to college, but that's one of the great things about you."

"What can I say?" Yamato shrugged with his usual, broad grin.. "I like that about myself, too, so I appreciate the sentiment you're giving me."

Takamasa laughed. "Ahaha. Don't get too full of yourself there, bub. You've still got a long way to go before you can catch up to your elders."

"And since when did you care about your age?" Yamato asked a bit angrily. His tone was milder than it was before Mashiro and Sophie's arrival. "You've never said anything like that until now."

Takamasa grinned. "Guess it's just me. You'll understand someday, young man."

"Now, you're starting to sound like Sophie," Yamato narrowed his eyes; they felt sore from seeing the sight in front of him. "Friends are nice and all, but sometimes, it's a little disturbing to see what rubs off onto the other."

Takamasa frowned in disappointment. "You just don't understand the kind of friendship writers and authors have with one another, Yamato. That's why you think it's a turn off."

"I don't even _want_ to understand the point of your friendships with other writers," Yamato retorted. His eyebrows furrows and he sure wasn't going to listen any further before leaving.

Around the same time, Mashiro had gone outside the apartment she and Yamato were living in, and was wandering around, glancing from side to side as she walked further ahead. She searched around for a few more seconds before ending up in front of a large building. The entranceway was that of a school's and she stepped forward through it, staring at the academy while blinking at the sight of the large structure it had.


End file.
